Micah and Drew

Micah turned 2 on April 9, and Drew turned 4 months on (*cough*) March 30, and today they finally had their 2 year and 4 month well-baby appointments this afternoon.  What can I say--April was a busy month!  I took Jonathan along as my designated older helper, and he was indespensible, as usual.  How did I do it without older helpers?!

We had the nicest doctor.  I know I always say that, but really, I love the pediatric doctors at Bethesda!  I was a tad bit worried because I knew that Drew hasn't gained all that much weight--he's only 14.1 pounds at almost 6 months.  He was in something like the 57th percentile for weight at his 2 month well-baby appointment, and now he's in the 7th percentile, LOL.  Sound familiar?!  But he is obviously healthy, active, and alert, and I told the doctor that this is generally how we grow kids.  It was a good thing I had Jonathan along as an example, because Micah weighs 29.6 pounds, and is in the 65th percentile for weight AND height!  He is such an outlier for our family.  He's going to pass up his older brothers in no time at all, while Drew will be the scrawny little brother forever, LOL. 

Drew now has his second tooth through, and he has been sleeping better.  Since he wasn't sleeping well the past few weeks, I started him on some rice cereal, which he likes, and now sweet potatoes, which he is not yet so fond of.  Now that the teeth are through, he is sleeping better again.  Yay!  He's pushing up on all fours, but if he rocks, he just topples forward.  He still won't roll from back to front, even though I think he could.  He loves the exersaucer, the every-faithful Johnny Jump-Up (now on its 13th kid!), and all his older siblings, who adore him back.

Micah finally started talking more a few months ago, although no one would ever say he is a "verbal" child, LOL.  But he's saying a lot more words, and putting words together.  He is very physically coordinated though.  Since he's big and coordinated, people think he is older than he is--until he talks!  Micah loves being outside.  He'd be out all day if I would let him!  He loves balls, the trampoline, his scooter, running around, pretty much whatever.  It also looks like he is outgrowing (has outgrown?) his milk allergy.  He's gotten into stuff like pudding lately and has not had any reaction.  I haven't actually tried straight-up milk yet.  Maybe now that school is done.  That would be so nice if he really has!  Anna outgrew hers at 2, so there is a precedent . . .

Micah and Drew got some shots today, which did not thrill either of them.  Amazingly, the immunization clinic was not busy at all, and we got in and out of there fairly quickly!  I left here at 9:00 for appointments at 10:00 and 10:30, plus immunizations, and we got back home around 12:30!  I think that's a record, LOL. 

Happy Mother's Day(s)!

I have had a great weekend!  It started Friday, when I checked the mail.  There was a little package addressed to me from Joy down in Texas!  She and her husband Dan are friends with my brother and his wife, and they had stayed with us back in October when they came to D.C. for a little kidless vacation.  I knew Joy makes beautiful jewelry because I follow her business ("Wire We Here"--is that a great name?!) on Facebook, so I was cautiously hopeful that this mysterious package might contain something she had made . .  And it did!  She made a beautiful necklace with stones for all 9 kids!  I LOVE it!  And then I found out that her husband Dan had collaborated with Bob to get the birth months of everyone, so it was truely a group effort!  What a wonderful surprise!

Saturday night we all went out west to hear a friend named Katie play a benefit piano concert.  She's the same age as Nathan, and she is an incredibly gifted pianist, having won many, many awards, and played many special places, like the Kennedy Center.  She is going on a missions trip this summer, so this concert was to raise money for her team.  It was such a lovely concert.  I would have enjoyed it more without Drew and Micah, LOL, but it is good to expose everyone to good classical music!  Drew needed to eat in the middle of the concert, but unfortunately he did not want to just settle in and start nursing without fussing around and wrestling with the nursing cover.  So we beat a hasty retreat and I nursed him out in the foyer.  Micah made it 2/3 of the way through before he really just wanted to talk.  Not a ton, but considering the rest of the sanctuary was as silent as a tomb, except for the notes of the piano, it would have been distracting.  So Bob came out to the foyer, right about as I was ready to go back in.  Everyone else did just fine, I am pleased to report!  Still, it was a very refined and enjoyable way to spend the evening!  I will note that certain philistine members of the family were more concerned about the score of the hockey game, but even they listened politely . . .

Yesterday, the actual "Mother's Day", Jonathan made me breakfast in bed, and then he and Caleb gave me a massage!  I also got several lovely homemade cards from the girls, and Bob had already brought home beautiful roses.  In the afternoon, Bob grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, since I have absolutely no interest in going out to eat on a super crowded day with my huge clan, LOL.  I got to skype with my parents, which is always fun, and I also had a nice conversation with Bob's sister Jane, which was a treat!

Tonight just Bob and I went out to dinner (MUCH more enjoyable than taking everyone, LOL).  To be honest, we were also celebrating the end of my year of biology.  The AP biology test was this morning, so now it is officially all over!  Woo-hoo!!  We went to Genghis Grill, since we had a coupon for a free bowl for Bob's birthday.  Then we headed over to Costco for dessert.  Did you know that you can get these amazingly yummy hand-dipped chocolate-covered ice cream bars, rolled in chopped roasted almonds, for only $1.50?!  Bob and I shared one, and it was just the perfect ending to a great evening!

Birthday Week!

Last week, we had 2 special birthdays!  Grace turned 6 on Wednesday, and Bob turned . . . well, a year older, on Thursday!  Those 2 days happen to be the busiest of our week, since Caleb and Jonathan have flag football practice those nights, and Bob is their coach.  That just meant we had to prolong the celebrations!

We kicked things off Tuesday by going out to CiCi's Pizza before dropping Nathan and Luke off at Civil Air Patrol.  Wednesday was even busier than usual because we had to have our second weekly biology class that evening, instead of Thursday afternoon.  But Grace picked the complicated dish of "hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls" for her birthday, so I did manage to make that for her, LOL. 

She opened presents after Bob and the boys got home.  She got some Lego Friends, a sparkling coloring pad, and a build-it-and-decorate-it-yourself birdhouse, which was from my parents.  This has sparked an interest in birds throughout the house, so we;ve stocked up on bird library books.  I have always wished I was more familiar with birds, like Amy, so maybe this is my big chance!  Even Micah is big into birds--he will stand looking out the storm door and say, "Bird. . .  bird . . ." all day if you let him!

The day was too much for Faith, and she missed out on the ice cream by falling alseep on the couch!  Everyone else enjoyed a ton of birthday ice cream flavors.  I actually picked them out a few days before.  One of them was Junior Mint.  I love Junior Mints, so I thought that would be yummy.  Well--it's not, LOL.  It tastes really strong.  Not bad, just more like eating Altoids ice cream, except without the nasty Altoids licorice flavor.

Poor Bob didn't even get his birthday dinner until tonight!  I actually went to the commissary on his birthday, where I picked up a turkey.  He loves turkey, but I didn't get around to putting the rub on and letting it sit in the fridge overnight until last night, so tonight was the big meal.  Everyone agreed, it smelled like Thanksgiving!  We had a modified meal--just turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, and green beans.

Last Friday we were finally able to make Grace's cupcakes and sing to her and Bob!  She picked green and purple frosting for her cupcakes, and she frosted them, along with help from various siblings.  That is why it looks like it could possibly be an ancient alphabet written on the tops, LOL.  They sure had fun decorating them!  Grace of course picked Funfetti as the cake flavor, even though Luke was rooting for her to pick chocolate.  But what girl can resist sprinkles?!  Bob was a good sport as usual in sharing his cake opportunity and agreeing to purple and green frosted cupcakes!

 

 

Breaking News!

Well, I never did get caught up!  Grace and Bob had birthdays last week, which I for sure will eventually blog about, but first, today was such an exciting day! 

The AP biology exam is Monday, and since it's a new exam this year, there are no released old exams to be found.  Even the test prep books, like Barron's and Princeton Review, are just sort of guessing what everything is going to be like.  That has made it hard for me to know if we are preparing well. 

Well, over the course of the past few months, I've been checking in on the AP biology 2013 thread over at collegeconfidential.  The past few weeks I've been hearing about a practice exam that AP teachers were giving their students, put out by the College Board!  And then a few nights ago, I happened to check the thread, and lo and behold, someone had posted a link to it!  I was soooo excited!  I bookmarked the link, sent it out to the boys, and went to bed just beaming!  What I did not do was save it to a file or print it off or anything, because it was midnight, and well, I just wasn't thinking, LOL.  So when I got up the next morning and told Bob my good news, he immediately said, "Save it!", and indeed, when I tried the link, it was broken.  I was crushed!!

Over the next few days, I searched and searched for the test online.  I found some other online practice tests that weren't too bad, but nothing official.  Drew has been sleeping really poorly the last few nights, and he's been getting up at 3:00 AM.  As I was nursing him last night at 3:00, it hit me--the way for me to get access to the unreleased practice test was for me to get my syllabus approved, so I would officially be an AP teacher.  That is what I did not do last summer, and that's why we can't officially call this biology course "AP biology".  Last summer I was absolutely not up to it, but now, having taught the course, maybe I could get something together.

Drew was up again at 6:00, and after I nursed him and put him back down, I came downstairs to the computer and got to work.  I found some syllabi online, which gave me a start, but then I looked at the College Board website and read all the actual details they want in a syllabus.  Gulp.  I pored over the 4 sample syllabi, and worked and worked on getting everything in mine.  I could not have done this last summer even if I had wanted to!  I wouldn't have understood enough of what they wanted to make it work, and it would have been such an exercise in frustration, I am sure!

It took me about 5 hours to finish the syllabus.  Then I made an account at the College Board website, where I had some difficulties because I couldn't figure out what "professional code" they wanted me to enter. I called Christine, since she got next year's econ course syllabus approved back in March.  She couldn't remember, but she told me it took several weeks to hear back from them with her approval.  That was discouraging, since the test is Monday.  But I figured I would press on because once you get a syllabus approved, it's good for awhile, and obviously I have a lot of biology teaching in my future, LOL.  After a few more minor technical difficulties submitting the syllabus (and 2 phone calls to the nice tech guy, LOL), everything was entered and pending about 11:45 AM. 

I took a shower and ate lunch, in preparation for our very last biology class this year, which was just  review for the test.  After that was over, I checked email.  I saw an email from the College Board, but in glancing at it, it looked like the automated "your syllabus is pending review" email I knew I had gotten.  But when I looked closer, the title actually said, "AP Audit--Your Biology Course Has Been Authorized".    It arrived in my inbox at 12:31 PM--less than an hour after I submitted my syllabus!!  I could hardly believe it!  I immediately started looking around, and *voila*, under the "secure documents" tab, was the AP practice exam!  Praise the Lord!  So I immediately downloaded it, and sent it off to the boys to take!  I hope it will be useful to them--I am very curious to see how they do!  And now I am all set for the coming years! 

I can't believe that when I went to bed last night, I had no thought of even attempting such a crazy thing!  And God was so gracious to allow it to get approved so readily!  Christine, Shannon, and I have been praying for the past few months as soon as Rivendell classes are over on Tuesdays.  I really feel that the Lord is answering prayer, and I am so very thankful!  We are so blessed!

Anniversary Celebration!

On April 17, Bob's parents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary!  This is a huge milestone, definitely worthy of honor, so we, as well as all Bob's siblings, had a party for them on April 20.  Bob's sister Ann did a wonderful job setting everything up!

 Bob's parents picked a nice restaurant, which had several big seating areas.  They set up 4 large round tables for us on a dance floor area.  The wood floor was surrounded by these metal arches.  Throughout the whole night, I would catch myself thinking these areas were mirrors, when in fact, they were open, so it was always a jolt to me to see my kids going right through them, LOL.

 Our kids took up a whole table!  Aunt Jane snuck in the picture too!  Bob and I, along with Drew, sat at the next table with some of his nieces and a nephew, as well as his brother Paul.  The food was really good!  I had roast beef, and Bob got "scrod".  We weren't sure what that was when he ordered it, but the restaurant said it was one of their most popular dishes.  It's a whitefish, we now know, and it was tasty.  The nicest part was dessert--the restaurant makes their own pies, and they were yummy!  There were a ton of choices--lemon meringue, apple, dutch apple, chocolate, coconut cream . . . I had chocolate, of course, and Bob had coconut cream, since he never gets anything coconut at home, unfortunately, LOL.   

 Bob's parents had a small ceremony, because Ann's mom had died just 3 months earlier.  They were married in their church, but they didn't have a reception or anything.  So Bob's sister Ann had the good idea to do the traditional reception things with them!  So Bob's dad took off the garter and threw that, Bob's mom threw a small bouquet of flowers, and they cut a cake Ann made and fed it to each other!  Then they even danced!

Jonathan caught the garter, and Anna caught the bouquet, so I hope no one else in Bob's extended family is hoping to get married anytime soon, LOL.  Jonathan gave the garter to Anna, who decided it made a better headband. 

It was a really lovely evening.  It was really nice to visit with all Bob's siblings, plus most of their kids.  My deep regret is that we didn't take any family pictures!  After all the reception stuff, the waitresses started clearing the tables, and a local band started setting up to play at 8:00.  So we all felt like it was time to leave, and I didn't even think about pictures until we were driving back to VA the next day!  So hopefully we can all get back together in 5 more years to celebrate their 70th anniversary, and then we'll take lots of pictures!

We actually went up to PA Friday afternoon, and we left Sunday afternoon, so it was a nice visit.  The weather was cold though!  I had to dig back out long pants for everyone!  Although it was colder, it was still sunny, so some of the kids and adults were able to go on walks.  Bob's sister Rose and her girls brought their dog Tucker, who was so cute.  At first the girls and Micah were really afraid of him, but they eventually warmed up and got a lot more comfortable with him.  They took a long walk Saturday afternoon with him, and another one Sunday!  And of course there was lots of food and card playing back at Bob's parents' house. 

Hello Again!

Hey, I'm back!  These last few weeks have been incredibly busy, but it looks like things are starting to slow down.  Whew!  This really has been quite the year!  Rivendell is almost over (2 more weeks!!), and the AP biology exam is next Monday (May 13).  Then standardized testing is the next week--I just got the big box o' Stanford tests yeasterday!  Now I need to go through them to make sure I got a test (and the right one) for everyone who ordered, and I need to rework the schedule and figure out which tester administrators go where.  I made a note to myself last year to "rework Tuesday", although unfortunately I neglected to write down exactly what the problem was, LOL.  Hopefully I will improve things, and not make them worse . . .

I'm going to do a few posts to catch up on things, because we did have some special occasions that need to be remembered.

Honor Flight

This week we have gotten up and out the door early 2 different days, which is surely a record for us!  Saturday we were out in Purcellville at 8:00 AM for a 5K supporting the pHC alumni and IJM, an organization that works to stop human trafficking and slavery.  (The head of it was Nathan's 8th grade football coach, so we feel a particular tie to IJM!)  Anyhow, Nathan and Luke ran the 5K, and the rest of us walked/jogged/rode in a 1 mile "Fun Run".  It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time! 

So when a few days later one of Nathan's CAP leaders sent out an email stating they needed people to volunteer to meet an Honor Flight Wednesday morning that was arriving at 8:50, I was flush with early-morning success and said we'd go.  This meant we had to be at Dulles at 7:50, which was a stretch, but we did it!  And it was worth it. 

Honor Flight is an organization that is working to get as many WWII veterans to DC to visit the WWII memorial.  The organization has a fascinating history, which you can read about in the link.  They started in Dayton, with the Wright-Pat aero club!  I didn't know that before!  World War II vets are dying at an average of 800 a day, so time is running out, but by the end of 2012, more than 98,500 vets had made the trip.

There is a group of people who work to make sure that each one of these flights are greeted by cheering people, showing these vets how much we appreciate their sacrifice and service.  They have the routine down, with the gate decorated with bunting, patriotic music playing, flags to hand out to people like us, and so on.  As the plane rolled up to the gate, 2 firetrucks saluted by spraying water over the plane in 2 arcs.  You totally can't see it in this picture, but it was really neat. 

When we first got there, there were not too many people, but more and more showed up, so by the end it was a good show.  My friend Lynnea and her girls were there too.

I would say there were about 70 vets, and maybe 30 "guardians" who travel with them.  I have to say those vets were in great shape!  Most of them walked off the plane--there were only a few in wheelchairs!  The plane was from St. Cloud, MN. 

The vets were moved when they came off the plane and saw all the people and heard all the applause and cheering.  I definitely saw some tears!  It was really special.  They liked seeing the kids, especially Micah and Drew.  Micah was a pro hand-shaker, which was good, since I wasn't sure how he would react.  We followed the vets out to the baggage claim.  They were waiting for tour buses to take them downtown, and we could have stayed and cheered them off, but the buses weren't actually there yet.  As the little people were starting to break down, I thought it was best to leave on a high note and make a clean getaway, LOL.  But we are planning to come back and do it again.  The CAP guy emailed us the year's schedule, and there are a lot of flights coming in.  It was a great way to show honor and gratitude to an inspiring group of men. 

Happy Birthday, Micah!

Micah turned 2 on Tuesday, and we celebrated with a little party after lunch at Rivendell!  As you can see by his somewhat overwhelmed and confused look, this party was a complete surprise, LOL.  I had made the cake Monday, frosting it after he went to bed, and I stored it on top of the washer in the laundry room.  I have to drop the middle kids off at TNT on Tuesday mornings, and I've just been leaving Faith, Micah and Drew here with Nathan and Luke, who are doing literature.  Our lit teacher brings her young kdis as well, so they all play together, but I figured the less they knew about a cake, the less trouble they would get into while I was gone. 

So after the middle kids all arrived back at our house after TNT, I called everyone in from playing on the trampoline (because wouldn't you know it, as they were walking in, I had just started nursing Drew, so they all escaped outside to play).  Micah was none to happy about having to come inside, and he was definitely taken aback when I put him in a chair, plopped a giant Bob and Larry VeggieTale cake in front of him, lit 2 candles, and then we all started singing, LOL.

Once Micah got a slice a slice of cake, he cheered up, however.  We've been working on holding up 2 fingers, but he still hasn't quite gotten it by himself.  My friend Kimberly's daughter holds up the first finger on each hand, which I think is brilliant, but Micah hasn't picked up on that either, LOL.

After Rivendell was done, and we got Nathan off to CAP (Luke decided to skip), we had ice cream, and Micah opened his presents.  Fortunately my mom and dad got him a cute plate set and a new Cars towel, along with some little toy cars, because I had a really hard time thinking of anything at all to give him.  I did pick up this little twirly thing that lights up, and he loves that, but I knew he would--a year or 2 ago, Jane and Terry bought the girls similar things at Idlewild, and they just loved them.  So when I saw one at Walmart, I just grabbed it.  Otherwise, what do you really get the 5th boy?!  I am not too ashamed to admit I went "shopping" in our basement, and I pulled out a huge Little People road/town thing where the road spins around in a circle.  I think we bought it for either Nathan and Luke, but I put it away awhile ago because it takes up so much room.  I can safely say Micah has never seen this thing before in his life!  Hopefully "gifts" will not be Micah's love language . . .

So Micah is now 2, but he has thought of himself as at least 2 since Drew was born.  He has given up his afternoon nap, except for the odd day where he falls asleep on the floor before I can get dinner on the table.  He can get in and out of his crib by himself, so I put one of those doorknob covers on so he couldn't get out of his room.  He got that off and hid the 2 pieces, but I put another one on, and he's not been so successful at removing that.  But that was when I decided to give up on naps and go with earlier bedtimes, and it's been awhile now.  He no longer sits in the high chair, and he drinks from a regular kids cup.  He jumps on the trampoline like a pro, and he just generally acts like he is much older than he is!  His new favorite thing is his pair of crocs, which I bought for him a week or 2 ago.  He loves those things and calls them his "bye-byes".  And since being outside ("bye-bye") is his most favorite thing, it makes sense he would always want them on! 

I should have height/weight stats, but alas, I haven't scheduled a 2 year well-baby appointment for him (or a 4 month well-baby for Drew, which should have happened around March 30.  Oops!).  At least he is finally talking  lot more.  I think that helps with his frustration levels, althoughhe can still pitch a mean temper tantrum!  Unfortunately for him, I have been around this bend before, so his tactics are not very effective, LOL.  He's a lot of fun to have around, and he gives really sweet kisses and snuggles.  Who can resist a little boy with a fuzzy blue blanket, sucking his thumb?  It's still so cute at 2!

Bye-Bye, Spring Break!

We had an absolutely wonderful spring break this year. It was refreshing AND I felt like we got some things accomplished.

I already talked about the cleaning I did in the study.  I also did manage to get that crazy kitchen desk and counter clean as well.  One reason I was able to get so much cleaning done was because kids were elsewhere several days.

On Monday, Bob took Nathan, Jonathan, and Anna skiing in PA.  Hidden Valley had tons of fresh powder, and best of all, the usual great deal of lift ticket, ski rental, and lesson was even cheaper--only $25!  They had a grand time.  This was Anna's first time skiing, and she really enjoyed it!  She is looking forward to next season already!

Monday I was able to have a massage, which was the most wonderful thing ever.  My shoulders get so tense with nursing!  My chiropractic office hired a new massage therapist, so they were offering $20 off specials, and I grabbed one of those.  If I am ever independently wealthy, I plan on having weekly massages!  I just felt like I was floating around the rest of the day.  Ahhh . . .  When I made the appointment, I thought all 4 boys were going, so I arranged to have the younger kids go to Christine's during the appointment.  But then Luke and Caleb stayed home, so I left Micah and Drew at home, but still dropped Grace and Faith over there to play.  We brought their snow stuff, since it finally even snowed here in DC, and they had a ball.  In fact, they stayed over there all day long, which was sooo nice for me, as far as getting stuff done!  No wonder I was so productive Monday!

Tuesday we rejoiced that we didn't have Rivendell and TNT, but Nathan, Luke, and Caleb were still up and going early.  Each boy has to plan a field trip relating to history this year, and Caleb McC arranged a tour of Lincoln's Cottage downtown.  The 3 older boys were picked up and whisked away at 9:00.  The tour was really good, everyone agreed.  The lady was knowledgeable and engaging, and they even had some role-playing, where each boy was assigned to be a member of Lincoln's cabinet.  It really fit right in with everything they have been learning this year.  Then they ate a picnic lunch and headed to the Mall for the rest of the day.  They visited the Museum of Natural History, as well as the National Gallery of Art.  Then they finished up with dinner in the food court at Union Station, including gelato!  Emily, the sole girl who is actually *here* (as opposed to in Hawaii!), was celebrating her 15th birthday that day, so it was a fun time!  The boys came home tired, but happy.

Wednesday morning, Nathan and I went out to Chik-Fil-A for breakfast, and then we did some driving around the Sams parking lot.  That was really fun!  Nathan even parked at Walmart, since we had to run in and return some shorts that were too big.  He did great!  Now we just need to fit driving into our schedule on a regular basis!

Thursday we had a playdate at Lynnea's, and of course we celebrated Anna's birthday.  Friday we started getting back in the routine of school, unfortunately.  I finally got all the testing stuff together so Bob could take the order in and mail it.  Glad to get that done!  Luke and I stopped by the library to pick up a book, and I asked at the front desk if anyone had turned in a cell phone.  Bob actually lost his cell phone in the library parking lot Sunday evening, right around closing.  This was the 3rd of the cell phones we got one year ago on St. Patrick's Day.  The other 2 were fried, and we were definitely thinking that our Costco phones were jinxed or something, LOL.  I had stopped in earlier in the week and also called a few times, but no one had turned in a phone.  But amazingly, when I asked on Friday, the lady came back out with Bob's phone!  We were so surprised!  Thank you, Lord!

Saturday was a beautiful day, weather-wise.  Bob and I went for a walk after breakfast, and he said he thought he would assemble the new trampoline!  Our old one we got from our German neighbors 3 years ago when they were moving.  It has been used very faithfully since then, and it was very, very saggy.  So after Thanksgiving we bought a new one during a great sale, but the 2 huge, heavy boxes just sat in our garage, since the weather was not conducive to trampoline-assembling, plus we had no free weekends with basketball.  We knew we needed to get the old one down and the new one up quickly, so our neighbors (who gave us so much grief when we got the old one) would not think we were actually just getting rid of the old one! So we got that old one down in record time, and built the new one!  It is soooo nice.  Bob got it all anchored in, and then last night he put the net from the old trampoline around the bottom of the new trampoline, so that Micah can't walk under it.  The kids are all having a ball bouncing around on the new one.  It is so bouncy!

Now we're back into the routine.  I'm actually just getting ready to teach biology in a few minutes!  But we can do this--only 6 more weeks of Rivendell after this week!!  I can't wait for summer break!

Happy Birthday, Anna!!

Anna turned 7 yesterday!  She hd a fun day, starting out with decorating her own cake in the morning!  Caleb baked her cake the night before--I am working myself out of a job!  Grace and Faith helped as well with the decorating, and Micah came along and helpfully ate extra frosting.  You can't even tell that Faith was standing on the chair and leaning over the cake, when she slipped and plunged her hand into the lower left quadrant on the cake.  I had to come to the rescue, so I guess I am still useful, LOL.   Oh, I did the writing too.  I think they will keep me around!

We had a playdate at my friend Lynnea's house, with her girls in the afternoon, and then Anna, Grace, Micah, and I took the traditional trip to Wegmans to pick out Anna's special birthday ice cream choices.  Dinner was kind of crazy, since Caleb and Jonathan had flag football practice from 6:00-7:30, and Bob and Nathan are their coaches.  The rest of us ate Anna's dinner choice, nachos, at a regualr dinner time.  We had this for the first time at Amy's house one time when we were visiting.  It's this yummy meat/bean mix that you cook in the crockpot, and you put that over tortilla chips and add toppings--lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, guacamole (well, I'm the only one who likes guacamole--thank goodness for those snack packs of guacamole from Sams!).  We had a fruit salad too.  It was yummy! 

Finally the boys got home, and Anna could open her presents.  She had been waiting all day for that moment!  She got several books, including a set of Rainbow Fairy books from Stephanie, who is in our Bible study!  Stephanie is Jonathan's age, and an excellent reader, so she is way past these books, and she's handing them down to Anna!  Anna was very excited to read them.  She also got a paint-with-water book, and some Little Mermaids that go in the bathtub (she and Grace used to have these, but they broke, alas).  From my parents, she got a latch-hook kit.  I used to love to latch-hook, so I think Anna will love it too!  The kit makes a butterfly pillow.  That will be a fun summer project!

Then we had cake and ice cream.  Drew was upset because he didn't get any.  Normally he likes the bumbo, where he reigns as king over the table, but not so last night.  Off to bed with him!

So now Anna is 7!  She is so much fun!  Bob took her skiing for the first time on Monday, and she had such a great time.  She is enthusiastic about trying new things, for the most part.  She and Grace are taking gymnastics at the community center right now, which they both absolutely LOVE.  I got her a little reader book about gymnastics from Half-Price Books when I was back in Ohio, and she and Grace have been trying to do everything pictured in the book. She has also really come a long way in her reading, even since Christmas.  And of course, she is a fantastic big sister!  Happy Birthday, Anna!

Spring Cleaning

Normally on a Tuesday afternoon, I would be exhausted from teaching all day.  But we're on break!!  Thursday night, after biology class was over, I started cleaning and organizing our study.  It has been driving me crazy, but I just haven't had the time to do anything about it.  But now--5 days later, LOL--it is finally clean and organized!  I even have some extra space, ready for more books!  Of course, I still have some shelves that are over-full, particularly one with all my Latin stuff on it.  I haven't figured out a good way to break it up yet.

I went through all our books and put a ton in a box to get rid of.  TNT is having their annual used curriculum sale in a few weeks, and I hope to get rid of a lot of stuff there.  Many of the books I'm just giving away!   I needed more room for all these high school science books I am accumulating at a rapid rate!  And I'm ready to give away a lot of curriculum for younger kids.  Let's face it--if I haven't used it by now, it is highly unlikely I'm going to start something new and extra now!  Still, it can be just a bit discouraging to realize exactly how much curriculum I need to keep since I still have so many kids left to educate.

We used to have 2 small desks here under these windows.  The other one was a really cute one that Bob used growing up when his older sisters zRose and Jane would do school with him.  I ended up moving it downstairs in the basement, because people don't use the desk in here anymore.  : (  The end of an era!  So now it will be a cute bedside table for the little bed in one of the spare rooms downstairs.  I moved the filing cabinet upstairs from the basement, and put it under those cubes ("Yaffa Blocks", Amy!), which is where that plastic thing used to be.  The bottom drawer of the platic thing is a filing drawer, but it is nowhere near big enough!  And let's just be honest here--I was not going down into the basement *ever* to file things.  Which is partly why the study was so messy and cluttered in the first place!  Now hopefully I'll be more organized.  At least I will have less of an excuse, LOL.

Now--on to the next messy area.  The dreaded "kitchen desk and counter beside the refrigerator". . .  Yeah, things have been piling up there for quite a while . . .

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

From a family with very little, if any actual Irish blood, LOL.  But hey, traditions are fun, so for the past several years we've had corned beef and colcannon, along with Irish soda bread for dinner.  Last year and this year, however, events conspired against us, and although both times I started the corned beef in the crockpot in the morning, we were not able to eat our traditional meal on St. Patrick's Day!

Last year we spent the entire day in Costco, attempting to decide what new cell phones we would be getting.  We finally walked out of there with T-Mobile phones--which turned out to get no reception at our house.  So we had to go back the next day and spend another afternoon there, getting the ill-fated (and hated!)Verizon Droid phones.  Forgive me for not linking the posts, but remembering those days makes me twitchy . . .

Today was nothing so dramatic, just a day where I failed to take into account how crazy our schedule actually is.  We all went to church, and then Bob took Caleb and Jonathan to their flag football evaluations at 1:00.  He is going to coach their team, so he had to stay and watch everyone, so he could try to figure out who he wanted to draft.  They got home, and Bob and I rushed off to our church small group meeting, already in progress.  We left there around 4:00, and when we got home, Bob started working on his drafting strategies until he left for the draft meeting at 5:30.  I loaded up all the kids for us to drop Nathan and Luke off at Nathan's Teen Community Bible Study.  Tonight was "8th grader/parents visitation night", so Luke got to go as well, to see what it is like for next year.  Nathan has really enjoyed it and gotten a lot out of it this year.  Anyhow, they feed the kids, so Nathan and Luke didn't need to eat dinner, which I had totally forgotten about this morning when I started the brisket.  The rest of the kids and I headed home, and Bob caught up with the boys at the CBS place as soon as his meeting was over, so he also didn't eat dinner.  Missing 3 of our biggest eaters, I decided we would have left-overs tonight, and we'll eat the corned beef tomorrow!

Clearly us "non-Irish" folk are supposed to be celebrating March 18, it seems!

Field Trip!

Today was the big day--the culmination of the space unit, the big 5th week field trip to Udvar-Hazy!  Rain was forcast, and it did indeed rain.  In Biblical proportions.  We all met at the church and got kids whose moms weren't going, into cars that were going (HUGE thanks to Karen, who organized the carpools!).  By the end of this, Karen and I were like drowned rats, LOL.  But we got everyone sorted out, nametags handed out, etc, and we made it over to the museum right on time.  Bob took the day off, so he was able to go too, which was a huge help.

The 1-4th graders had learning labs run by the staff at Udvar-Hazy the first hour.  The 5-6th graders went through the museum doing a scavenger hunt activity (again, HUGE thanks to Karen, who made that up--everyone liked it!).  The K-4 and K-5 went up to the observation tower and watched the airplanes take off and land at Dulles until their space-themed storytime at 10:30. 

At 11:00, the 5-6th graders had their learning lab, and the other grades all did the scavenger hunt.  I did not assign myself a group when I was organizing everyone, so I was able to walk around accosting groups with random pieces of information gathered from my years of being an Air Force daughter/wife/mother of a space-loving child.  I even discovered some interesting new things--such as, one of the items to find was a "party suit".  When I found it, I was surprised to see that it was worn by a member of the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, the "Cotton Pickers", which was my dad's squadron when we were stationed in Okinawa!  In case you don't know, a "party suit" is a cheesy one-piece outfit worn to the bar, with the person's name embroidered on the pocket.  I tried diligently to find a good picture of this gem online, but to no avail.  I don't think my dad ever had one, since he didn't go to the bar after missions.  Whew!

Anyhow, it seemed like everyone had fun.  I am so glad it's all over!  No one got lost, LOL.  I am still perturbed about the parking situation there.  They charge $15 per vehicle to park unless it is a "commercial van or larger".  We had two magnetic signs, which we put on our van, and one other big van, but everyone else had to pay.  It seems like a homeschool co-op whose members are going to educational activities put on by the museum should not have to pay.  And indeed, the lady in charge of education said we shouldn't have to pay!  But this is a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand does, because the confirmation email she herself sent out said very clearly, "Please note that all visitors to the Udvar-Hazy Center will be charged $15 per vehicle for entry through the parking gates. Exempted vehicles are school buses, tour buses, motor coaches, mini-buses, or commuter buses, which all must be clearly identified with a prominently displayed logo in order to qualify for the fee exemption.  And when I called the front desk to ask, they were very firm about only letting big vans or larger with signs in for free.  Grrr.  Your tax dollars, well . . . not really working for you, anyway.  But other than that expensive bit of hassle, everything went fine.  And now that is off my plate!  I'm off to work on biology for Thursday, since we again didn't meet today (I just taught memory work and life science this afternoon).

Claire's Excellent All-By-Herself Vacation

Last Thursday right after lab, Christine took me to the airport, where I proceeded to fly to Ohio for the weekend.  All.  By. Myself.  This little trip was a few months in the making.  Back in the middle of January Amy called to me tell me that the school system we graduated from was celebrating its 50th anniversary with a concert by Michael W. Smith on March 9.  Our other good friend Julie was going to be in town for it--was there any way I could come?  Of course I immediately said no.  March 9 is right in the middle of my busiest time--teaching at TNT for the 2 weeks before, and leading the end-of-unit field trip on March 12.  So there was just no way.

But then I got to thinking:  what if just Drew and I flew out?  I searched around and found a good price on a direct flight.  Bob gave the green light, so I bought the tickets.   As the day got closer, Drew was sleeping better and better, and he had taken formula bottles just fine . . . so I decided to not take him either.  I did bring my breast pump, which got quite a workout, though, LOL.

And it was absolutely wonderful.  I can not even describe the feeling of freedom as I just went wherever I wanted, and no one needed me at all! And the quiet . . . it was amazing! It was such a refreshing time.

When I got up Friday I first visited my friend Anja who had just had her 4th baby back in January.  She and her family are PCSing this summer, so I was so glad to get in one last visit in person before they move!  The visit wasn't long enough, but I had to go meet another friend for lunch.  Marie and I went to college together while our husbands were both active duty Air Force.  We reconnected several years ago in an unusual way.  Several years ago I became friends with Bob's boss's wife Tonya, even though we have (still!) never met in person.  Tonya and Marie are good friends, and eventually Tonya put it together that Marie and I had known each other.  Anyhow, Marie and I had plans for lunch--without any of our combined 17 children!  It was so nice to chat and catch up completely uninterrupted! 

After lunch, I did some shopping, and then I went back to my parents' house to do some work on the upcoming field trip.  That was all the work I did though--I did NOT bring my biology book!  I caught up on all my parents' Christmas letters (they keep in contact with a TON of people), and I even started reading a book just for pleasure.  Imagine!

Saturday was the big day.  After exercising (!), Amy and Julie picked me, and we went out to lunch.  We had a delicious Mexican meal at Abuelo's.  Then we all headed back to Amy's house to talk some more.  We never run out of things to talk about!  We left for the concert a little before 5:00.  There was a reception for alumni and teachers there as well.  It was so fun to catch up with former teachers, including my high school biology teacher!  I got to tell him about my life as a homeschooling, high-school-biology teaching, mother of 9.  Believe me when I say that was certainly not my life plan back in high school!

Before the actual concert, several videos were shown. One had a lot of well-known Christians, like Joni Earikson Tada and Josh McDowell, talking about DC, and what the school means to them. Another had pictures from the history, and the last had current teachers and students talking about DC. I really enjoyed all the videos!

Michael W. Smith had a great concert!  I find it funny that I have not gone to a concert in years and years, and here I have gone to 2 concerts in the past 3 weeks!  Apparently I only go see well-established artists though--Third Day just celebrated their 20th anniversary, and Michael W. Smith has been performing for 30 years.  No "flash in the pan" singers for me, LOL.  Anyhow, I knew all the songs he sung, so that was nice, and it was a good time of worship as well.  He said he had over 190 songs to choose from!  Of course he sang "Friends are Friends Forever".  He said that when he wrote that song back in the late 80's he never dreamed he'd be singing it for the rest of his life, LOL. 

The concert was done a little after 9:00, which was like 10:00 because of the impending time change, sigh.  But we grabbed a quick bite to eat afterward, since we hadn't eaten dinner beforehand.  I spent the night at Amy's, so at least I didn't have to drive back to Mom and Dad's.  But I did have to pump when we got home!

Sunday morning I drove to the base chapel to go to church with Mom and Dad.  Their combined choir from the 3 base chapels was performing their Easter cantata that morning.  The lady who directed it was so joyously enthusiastic about it!  Her enthusiasm was very contagious, and I think everyone enjoyed the cantata!  Afterward, Mom and Dad took me out to the Officers' Club for brunch.  It was delicious, and made even better by the fact that all I had to worry about was my *ONE* plate, not plates for 3-4 other kids up and down each arm!  They had a chocolate fountain with lots of strawberries . . . my favorite!

After brunch I pumped again, then took a nap (!).  All too soon it was time to pack up everything and head to the airport.  I thoroughly enjoyed a quiet flight back, reading my book so peacefully. 

I was so thankful I was able to be gone as long as I was.  Just one or two nights would not have been long enough.  I felt like I was able to come up to the surface and take a few deep breaths before diving back in until the end of May.  And I was ready to see everyone again by Sunday evening!  I was greeted by all sorts of eager hugs and smiles, which was nice.  It is nice to be missed!

But Bob and the kids did great while I was gone.  Everything ran smoothly, even things like getting to Luke's all-star basketball practices and game.  Caleb and Luke made chili-mac Thursday night, and then Bob made ribs on Friday, a stunning success!  They had a fire in the firepit Saturday night, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. 

So now we're back in our regular routine.  My milk supply did suffer a little bit, I think, so Drew has been eating a little more frequently, although he's still been sleeping really well at night.  Now--to make it until May 23 . . .

Space Unit

I taught the last 2 Tuesdays at our elementary co-op.  We're in a space unit right now, which is one of my favorite subjects!  I actually taught this unit before, way back in 2006, when I was pregnant with Anna.  Although I taught the 1st and 2nd graders back then, and I taught the 5th and 6th graders this time, at least I had some ideas for where I was going and what I wanted to cover.

Last week we talked about stars.  After talking about differences in size, color, etc., we focused on constellations that are in the sky right now in the evening.  We did several activities to help them be able to recognize Orion, Taurus, Jupiter (which is above Taurus right now), the Pleidies, Auriga, Gemini, Canis Major, and Canis Minor, as well as the Big Dipper, the North Star, and Casseiopia. I told some of the Greek myths behind the constellations too. One thing I do that is always popular is pound nailholes into the bottom of pringles cans in the shape of the constellations (actually you have to punch in the mirror image so it looks right when you look through the can).  I sent the kids home with instructions to look at the stars at night and see how many of those constellations they could identify--but unfortunately practically all of the nights were cloudy, LOL.  Oh well.

Today we focused on the moon.  After talking about features on the moon's surface, what it is made of, and how it shines, we talked about the phases.  I demonstrated them with a globe, light, and foil-covered styrofoam ball, and then the kids made these moon phase plates out of oreos. I "glued" the oreos to the plates with white frosting.  The activity was a hit, LOL. 

Then we talked about the space race, and they made a timeline with figures I drew back when I taught this the last time, and I had extra creativity and time, LOL.  From back when Nathan went through his huge big space phase (when he was 4-5), we have a set of die-cast figurines of the Apollo program--Saturn V rocket, command and service module, lunar module, command capsule with the flotation collar and those big beach-ball-looking things that keep it upright in the water, lunar rover, and a few other figures.   Those are great to illustrate things like docking the command and service module with the lunar lander.  I even dug out some pictures of us down in Huntsville, AL, at the Space and Rocket Center, to show how big the Saturn 5 really was!  I just love the race to the moon!  I've read a ton of books on it (again, back when I had lots of time, LOL), and it is so fascinating.  Michael Collins (the third Apollo 11 astronaut, the one who piloted the command module while Aldrin and Armstrong went down to the moon) wrote a really good autobiography called Carrying the Fire that is one of my favorites.

Anyhow, it is a shame that I am so busy right now and can't just enjoy this unit more, because there are so many interesting websites and new things to read!  I am really relieved to be done with the teaching part, though.  Being at TNT all morning really makes for a long day for me, as I have to come back to Rivendell and teach memory work and life science.  We did not meet at all for biology last week (although I gave the boys a bunch of assignments!), which gave me time to finish this week's lesson plan, but we'll meet this week on Thursday.  In fact, I should be preparing for that now, instead of blogging . . .We're covering the immune system in great detail, and I am definitely not prepared yet!

Week of Luke

Luke turned 14 on Wednesday, but we've been celebrating all week!  It started on Monday when Bob took him and Jonathan skiing in Pennsylvania.  It's a bit of a drive to Hidden Valley, but you can't beat the deal on Mondays and Tuesdays--lift ticket, rental, and a lesson for $32!!  Bob took them, plus Nathan, back in January, and they went snowboarding, but this time they stuck with skiing.  (Nathan didn't want to miss another Spanish class, and Caleb just doesn't like the cold, LOL.)  It was a beautiful day, weather-wise, and they had a grand time.

On Luke's actual birthday, I had a doctor's appointment at Bethesda at 3:00, and I didn't get home until 5:00.  I knew it would be later, so I had already planned on having Luke's special birthday dinner on Thursday.  Instead, Bob brought home tacos from Taco Bell, definitely a special treat--especially since Bob got some (6) of the "loco tacos" with the Doritos shells.  Yum!  I had never tried one of them before!  Bob got three 12-packs, and we polished them all off.  Teenage boys . . .

We have sort of started a new birthday tradition back with Caleb of going to Wegmans and picking out special ice cream for everyone.  Luke didn't really want to go out Wednesday night, so he delegated his picking responsibility to the girls, who are always up for a trip to Wegmans with Daddy!  They (and Micah) came back with a ton of different flavors to choose from!

Thursday we actually had Luke's requested birthday dinner of chicken packets, which is an old recipe from my "Once-A-Month Cooking" cookbook, which I definitely used to own but can no longer find.  Good thing I copied it into a recipe book my brother gave me one year for Christmas a long time ago!  We also had a special salad and kale chips (and more ice cream for dessert).

Then today for Bible study Luke picked a veritable smorgasbord of dessert goodness--candy bar cheesecake (chocolate with snickers), Air Force dessert (which includes cookies & cream ice cream), and chocolate-covered strawberries.  YUM!  I left some strawberries un-dipped, and I made some chocolate-covered pretzels with the last little bit of chocolate.  We brought home with us about 1/3 of the cheesecake.  Everything was gone!  Of course, there were over 20 kids there, plus adults . . .

So we have had a fun week of celebrating Luke.  My parents gave Luke a gun safety course at a local range, and Bob is going to take him shooting there as part of our present.  Fun! 

It's hard to believe Luke is 14!  He is a great older brother--he definitely has a gift with little kids.  He's an excellent student, and he is also a great athlete.  He just was notified tonight that he was picked to be on the all-star basketball team!  He has to miss their first practice on Tuesday, though, because he has now also joined Civil Air Patrol, and he needs to pass a drill test then so he can get promoted. 

Now you are caught up on Luke!

Score at Office Depot

This afternoon I had to make a ton of copies for my astronomy lesson at the elementary co-op on Tuesday, and while everything was copying, I happened to notice the clearance rack.  On the rack was this enormous 5 inch binder, on sale for $3.93.  I have been needing a new binder because I had 2 smaller ones for biology--both 2 inches, including this purple one.  But they were getting full, and the year is only 3/4 over!  I have never seen a binder as big as this one though, LOL.  After the copying was done, I walked around the store to find nametags for the field trip I'm in charge of, and I happened to see other 5 inch binders on the shelf--for over $35!!  So I ran back and picked up this bargain as fast as possible!  When I took it to the checkout, it rang up as originally $32.99, so getting it for $3.93 was such a steal!  Now this beauty has a ton of my biology handouts and notes in it, and it's not even half full!  I do still have the stuff I need right now in my smaller purple binder, because getting papers out of this monster is not as easy as you might think, ha. 

Third Day Concert!

Bob and I had a date to the Third Day concert Thursday night.  It was the opening night of their "Miracle" Tour.  To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure I would enjoy it all that much.  I mean, I really like Third Day, and we have a lot of their CDs, but the whole group experience thing, crowds, loud noise--I wasn't sure about all that.  And I can't even remember the last time I went to a concert.  It might have been our first actual date, where we went to a concert at the Nutter Center after the base chapel volunteer appreciation banquet, back in the spring of 1992!  I have no recollection of what group was playing, but I do remember some ladies singing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", so I think it was some sort of oldies/patriotic music group.  Anyhow . . . suffice to say I've not been a part of the live music scene of late, LOL.

We got there just a few minutes late, and we even got a good parking space, so that was nice.  We walked in and sat down (we had great seats!) and the opening act, Josh Wilson, was already singing.  We didn't recognize his name right away, but we soon realized that the Christian radio station plays his songs, so we DID actually know him.  He was great!  We both really enjoyed him, and I started thinking, "Hey, concerts are fun!  Why don't we go to more of them?"

Then the second guy came onstage, and he was definitely MUCH louder, LOL.  His name was Colton Dixon, and apparently he had been on American Idol this past year.  I wouldn't know, since I don't watch that show.  I definitely felt like an old fuddy-duddy, snickering at his pencil jeans and weirdly spiked hair, and wishing the music was quieter and the bass wasn't so heavy, LOL.  He seemed like a nice boy, though (albeit with really skinny, non-athletic legs).  I just won't be going to his concerts, LOL.

After intermission, Third Day came out.  Everyone was on their feet, cheering, but I just stayed sitting down, because, well, I'm not really all that outwardly excitable, and it just feels, I don't know, awkward or something.  Bob stayed sitting down too, which was fine until the couple sitting next to us decided to move down to the empty row right in front of us.  When they did that, suddenly we couldn't see anymore sitting down!  Bob said something to them, I was embarrassed, they ended up moving down some so they didn't block our view, and I ended up trading seats with Bob and standing up, so it ended up fine.  I felt awkward, but it was okay.  And then Mac Powell, bless his heart, told everyone to sit down, so *whew* I didn't have to awkwardly stand up the whole time!  It got me thinking though--in a big group of people, my tendancy is to back away and almost be outside the experience, looking in.  Which is not to say I'm not enjoying it!  I just don't outwardly express it or something.  Anyway, I was worrying about being in heaven, with thousands upon thousands, worshipping God, like it says in Revelation.  Surely I would be able to enjoy a group experience there, focusing on God, not feeling outside it all, right?! 

Third Day was absolutely amazing.  We both so enjoyed all the songs, and Mac Powell sharing in between songs.  It's hard to believe they've been a band for over 20 years, but they definitely were so comfortable up on stage!  And you know, gradually I became a lot more comfortable in the crowd--I even clapped along some, LOL.  It was like being in a worship service, and by the end I wasn't so worried that there was something wrong with me, that I couldn't enjoy group experiences!   So Bob and I had a really fun time together, and a really meaningful time of worship as well! 

Back at home, Nathan and Luke gave Drew a bottle, got everyone ice cream, and put the younger 5 to bed.  It is soooo nice to have responsible in-house babysitting!  What a blessing!

Big Week For Drew!

1.  Drew started rolling from front to back last Thursday!  He's okay with it if he is up and playing on the floor.  He is NOT happy when he does it when he's sleeping.  He only did that once, LOL.

2,  Drew found his thumb last Friday!  It's still hit and miss as far as reliably getting it in his mouth.  It is helping him sleep though!  Which leads us to . . .

3.  Drew slept until 8:00 this morning!  That was lovely!  Of course, Micah was up crying at 7:00, and Faith was hollering at 7:30 because she needed toilet paper in her bathroom, but still . . .

4. Drew had his first formula bottle this morning!  I wanted to try him on formula to make sure I could leave him for the weekend I go to Ohio, but I also wanted to make sure I was around, in case it didn't work or he was allergic or something.  The younger kids didn't have TNT this morning, because they're on winter break (lucky ducks, LOL), so that was perfect--Caleb gave him the bottle while I was leading a fetal pig dissection for biology!  Drew did fine with it, although he didn't have naps as long as he usually does this afternoon.  That, however, could be from all the kids we have here Tuesday afternoons, LOL.  I'll try another formula bottle before I leave, just to make sure he's okay with it. 

And in the picture above, Drew is smiling and cooing at his beloved older sister Grace!

Well Babies!

So Faith and Drew had well-baby appointments last Thursday.  Drew was 12 pounds, 6 ounces, and that is the only statistic I remember from the appointment, LOL.  They both are perfectly healthy!  Drew is doing really well at night, sleeping from about 9:00 or so until 6:00 or 6:30 pretty reliably.  Yay!

Caleb, who didn't want to be in this picture, also had an appointment.  After 2 years of basically never needing his inhaler, he has had a harder time this winter.  Starting in December, whenever he would go outside to play basketball, he would come in wheezing and needing his inhaler.  It only seems to be exercising in the cold that triggers the wheezing, though.  It had been awhile since he had been seen, and he needed new prescriptions for his asthma meds, so that is why he had to go in too.  The doctor her saw was so nice--he was one of 7 himself!--and he asked a lot of thorough questions to make sure it wasn't some new allergy or something.  It doesn't appear that it is, so the plan is that Caleb has to take Flovent in his inhaler preventatively, twice a day, now. 

The doctor called in a staff doctor to come in and make sure he was on the right track, as far as a treatment plan goes.  When she walked in, I recognized her from back when Faith was a baby, although we haven't seen her for several years.  We talked about Caleb for awhile, and then we talked about us having so many kids.  The doctor started talking about this one family who used to come in, who were "very religious" and had 7 kids.  The mom would line the kids up against the wall, and they would sit while the doctor would examine the baby and talk with the mom.  The older kids took care of the younger kids, and they were always quiet and well-behaved.  At the end of the appointment, the mom would give them a snack.  I laughed and said something about it sounding familiar, but after we left, it hit me--I'm sure she was talking about us!  She was our doctor when Faith (#7) was a baby, and Nathan was not even 12, so I still had to bring everyone in.  We saw her several times, and what she described is pretty much what I would do.  I'm sure there are plenty of other families with 7 kids who could also be described that way, but I'm pretty sure she was talking about us!  It was encouraging, though.

Good thing I had that encouragement, because the afternoon dragged on forever!  We left out house at 12:40, and we finally got back home at 6:40, after getting shots at the immunization clinic and waiting FOREVER at the pharmacy for Caleb's prescriptions.  I was so ready to be home!  And when I got home, I was greeted with flowers Amy sent me, plus balloons and a delicious "not-cake" fudgy torte thing from Christine, since it was actually my 40th birthday!  Bob had already gotten me roses, but he surprised me with an absolutely beautiful jewelry box with a really special inscription on it. Then he took me out to eat at Cheesecake Factory, and we did a little bit of shopping afterward.  He wanted to do something fun, like go ice skating, but I was just totally beat from my long day at Bethesda, so we will have to save that for another date!

Spending the afternoon at the doctor is not exactly an ideal birthday, but Bob had already given me a huge present that I am sooo looking forward to.  A few weeks ago, Amy called, and she mentioned that my high school, Dayton Christian, was having a big 50th anniversary celebration in March.  She wondered if there was any way I could possibly come home for that, since our other good friend Julie was going to be in town that weekend.  Well, the timing is absolutely the worst--right after my 2 weeks of teaching at our elementary co-op, and right before the big field trip to the space museum that I am in charge of.  No way we can pick up and drive out there in the midst of all that!  But then I got to thinking--what if just Drew and I flew out?  So I looked into ticket prices, and I found a direct flight for only $215.  Bob okayed the plan, so I bought a ticket, leaving Thursday after lab, and coming home Sunday evening!  Now it's been a few more weeks, Drew is sleeping really well, and . . . well, I'm thinking that if he will do okay with formula, I'm not going to take him.  Just me, all by myself, with no kids for 3 days!!   It sounds so amazingly refreshing.  I can. not. wait.  Best birthday present EVER!!!  I need to buy some formula so I can try Drew on it.  I'll bring a pump, which will be a little bit of a hassle . .  but  all by myself!  For 3 days!  With no one needing me!  I can hardly imagine it!

Happy Birthday, Faith!

Faith turned 4 on Friday!  Bob took the day off, which was really nice.  After he took Nathan to the Pentagon DMV to take his test for his learner's permit, he took the girls and Micah to Wegman's so that I would have uninterrupted time to frost the cake!  If you have read this blog for awhile, you may have thought that this cake looks familiar.  It does!  I used the same dog as a model for Grace's 2 year old birthday cake, back in 2009!  That dog was Grace's special stuffie that she loved and slept with.  Faith was 3 months old when I made that first cake!

Well, apparently a few months ago, Grace bequeathed the puppy to Faith.  And so when I asked Faith what she wanted for her cake, she picked the pink and white puppy, even though there is no way she could have any recollection of me having made a cake of it before!  There just must be something about that dog that screams "birthday cake"!  Grace's cake was actually cuter, but I had way less time this go-around.  I did the ears differently, which was easier, but not as cute.  Oh well! 

Faith is so happy to finally be 4 years old.  She was so funny the other day though.  She told me she felt like she was still 3 because she still sucked on her finger, LOL.  She does it less, though.  We're working on it!  Faith is a sweetheart, and we're glad to have her in our family!  And we never forgeet that she is there, because she is just SO loud, and she always is making some sort of noise!  I usd to worry about having 3 girls--would one always be left out, especially since Anna and Grace are so close in age?  Not to worry!  Faith's personality does not lend itself to being left out, and that has definitely not been a problem!  The Lord knew exactly who to put in our family!

Catching Up

I thought last week would be a "breather week" for us!  That didn't happen, and this past weekend was certainly not restful either, so I didn't get any blogging done, despite my best intentions. 

So . . . catching up.  When I last wrote, we were down a van and a toilet.  Sunday afternoon Bob had the brilliant idea to call Brian, our awesome church administrator who knows everyone, to see if he could recommend a towing service.  Brain said he could but then asked if Bob didn't just want to call Noah, another guy in our church, to see if he would just want to fix it?  So Bob called Noah, he drove out Monday afternoon and fixed the van there off the road where Bob and Ed had pushed it, and it was good to go!  Noah's wife and son were over in Africa visiting friends, so he came over afterward and had dinner with us.  So fun!  And now the van was working again!

Bob had been working each evening on the recalcitrant toilet, snaking it and so on, to no avail.  But Tuesday morning before he went to work, he tried one more time, and *voila* the toilet flushed!!  That was a direct answer to prayer because Tuesday afternoons while Rivendell is meeting we have 24 kids here, and it is a total pain to have everyone have to troop up or down stairs to pee!  Although, as I had to remind myself several times, it's not like we were roughing it like the pioneers, LOL.  We have 4 other toilets in our house, all of which were working, so we weren't exactly digging an outhouse or anything!  Bob's parents raised 6 kids in a house with one bathroom, which was upstairs!  But I was still glad to have the main floor bathroom open for business again.  Thank you, Lord!

The reason last week was going to be such a breather for me is that we were studying stuff in biology that is not on the AP test (phyla), and the lab was just dissecting a frog.  I did not have to spend hardly any time at all preparing, which was so nice.  We had a fun time with the frogs.  Leo had a female frog who was just stuffed with eggs in every space in her intestinal cavity!  I've never seen so many eggs before!  That was really interesting, although it did make it hard to see the other organs, since they were so squished and covered in eggs.   

Since we did the lab on Tuesday, and we didn't need to cover the chapters, we didn't need to meet on Thursday, which worked out perfectly, since I had made 3 doctor's appointments for Thursday afternoon.  I spent 30 minutes on the phone with the appointment center, trying to get 3 appointments together on one day, and when Thursday afternoon was all they could come up with, I wasn't going to turn them down and start all over again!  Faith and Drew had well-child appointments, and Caleb went in to get new prescriptions for his asthma medicines.  I'll do a separate post on the appointments (that's my well-intentioned plan, anyway!).

Saturday was an absolutely crazy day.  Luke and Jonathan had basketball games in the morning, and Caleb had a birthday party at a friend's house.  Nathan toured an FAA facility with CAP, and then he reffed 2 games in the afternoon at Upward.  Bob and I were driving all over the place!  We can't wait until Nathan can drive!  He got his learner's permit on Friday, so after I picked him up from his refereeing, I took him across the street to a parking lot so he could have his first driving experience.  He did great!  He picked up on how hard to press the pedals really quickly.  Now, to fit in time for more practice . . .

The last thing on Saturday was a father/daughter dance at a local church!  Bob took Anna, since the girls had to be in 1st grade to go.  She was so excited!  They had a great time.  There were a lot of activities--some drawing, they made a necklace and a picture frame, there were snacks, as well as the dancing.  It was really special!  Grace is looking forward to her turn to go next year!

One of Those Weeks . . .

 . . . where you think all your possessions are rebelling against you.  It started on Tuesday when one of those plastic deoderizer-things that hangs over the rim of the toilet bowl got knocked into the toilet and flushed.  We were attempting to make it not as noticeable that there are a bunch of boys using our main floor bathroom on a daily basis, but given the choice between a non-working toilet, and a bathroom that can smell like a hamster cage, now we realize we would pick the hamster cage.  So the toilet is well and truly clogged.  Reasonable solutions such as snaking have not yielded any positive results, so now Bob is thinking that he is going to have to actually take off the toilet.  Now there's a project to look forward to!

Next, it appears one of garage doors is possessed!  I was standing by our refrigerator Wednesday night when I thought I heard the garage door going up.  But we were all inside, so I convinced myself that it was just the dishwasher or something.  But a little later I heard the noise again, and I went out to the garage to check.  The door was down, but the light was on, indicating that the door had been moving!  Freaky!  We locked that garage door so it couldn't move, but the next day I unlocked it, just to see what would happen.  Sure enough, a little while later I was standing in the kitchen when I heard the garage door!  I ran out the door in time to catch it going up!  So now it is staying locked until Bob can take a look at it to see if wires are touching or something. 

Then yesterday we had another busy Saturday.  I took Jonathan to his pictures and game at 10:30, while Bob took Nathan to meet a review board for CAP, to determine if he will be selected to go to the summer special activities he would like.  After they got home, Bob left to take Luke to his 1:15 game.  At 12:55 I got a call from Bob.  He said his 2000 Honda Odyssey was "broken" and that I needed to come get Luke and take him on to his game!  When Bob was making a left turn, the van just made a big clunking noise and wouldn't go anymore.  It wouldn't even stay in park.  After talking to some repair guys, it seems the consensus is that the axle is broken.  We were actually hoping it was the transmission, since we had that replaced in March 2010 (I remembered it as "a year we didn't have a baby", LOL), and so it was still under warrenty.  But alas . . . this is a new problem, it seems. We didn't want to pay for weekend emergency towing, so the poor Ody is still stuck on the side of the road.  It looks like we'll be doing something with that tomorrow.  At least we have the big van as well as the Sienna!

Now we are waiting to see what causes problems this next week . . . (cue ominous music . . .)