Camping!

This weekend we went camping with a big group of homeschooling friends.  Last year, the weather was unseasonably cold, and we all froze.  This year, the weather was absolutely *perfect*--lows 70s during the day, and 50s at night.  I hope that doesn't mean next year is slated to be unbearably hot!

Packing for a camping trip involving 11 people is quite a logistical challenge, to say the least.  This year I actually typed up a list, which really helped.  There were only a few items we needed to add to list once we got back home.  The food is definitely the biggest challenge.  Our family eats so much, especially when all those growing boys are outside all day long exercising! 

We had the same 2 tent set-up as last year, with the 4 boys in the red tent that has served us so well since Colorado days, and the other 7 of us in the brown tent we got last year from Costco.
                                        
 With the new baby coming, next year I am planning to move Micah on up to the tent with the other big boys.  I always have trouble with little kids in sleeping bags--they wiggle around during the night, ending up sideways and completely uncovered.  At a consignment sale in March, I found this "toddler travel bed".  It comes with 6 styrofoam strips of equal length--2 for each side, and one for each end.  You slide them in the sleeves, then velcro the corners together, making a little frame for the flat little mattress.  I put Micah's sleeping bag in there, and it worked perfectly!  He didn't move sideways at all, and he stayed perfectly covered, sleeping like a rock each night!

Drew wasn't quite so cooperative.  He was cold the first night, and woke up a few times, but the second night was warmer (and he was so exhausted), so you would think he would have slept great.  But alas, it rained a little bit, and I guess that woke him up, and he ended up crying several times, making a restless night for me.  At least it didn't bother anyone else!  

 Once again, we brought construction toys for the littles to play with.  When we were getting organized, I could not find the brown paper sack in the garage, but I did find a set of 5 little trucks at Target.  But as we were loading up, I did find the bag, so we ended up with 3 bigger vehicles and 5 smaller ones.  Since there were mainly girls leading the playing, the big trucks became the "mommies", and the little ones were the babies.  Lots of happy little construction families, building themselves houses!  It was really cute--until Godzilla Micah or Drew would destroy all the houses and roads, leading to great frustration all around, especially the more tired everyone got.

 Christine gave the boys some camping cooking lessons Saturday morning on their lovely big Costco cooking stove.  We once again borrowed the L's stove--just as we have been for the past 16 years of camping!  Maybe one of these days we'll invest in our own . . .

 Saturday after breakfast we all hiked to the waterfall.  The older kids all went up to the top of the falls with Bob (most of them ending up wet, at least their shoes, if not more), but I was not sure it was a good idea for Micah, Drew, and me to attempt that.  So we stayed at the bottom, and Micah and Drew climbed all over the little rocks there.  Thankfully they both stayed dry, LOL.  Micah was very proud of himself for climbing up on top of this stump all by himself!

This was the same hike we did last year, where on the way back Micah pitched a huge temper tantrum after lagging farther and farther behind.  So I had to carry him, and in the midst of all the drama, I totally missed a trail intersection, and I marched off down a different trail.  This is now known in family lore as "the time when Mom got lost", although I always point out I was not technically "lost".  Once I realized I was on the wrong trail, I turned around and retraced my steps!  Anyhow, nothing like that happened this time.

 The only drama was that Faith somehow acquired a splinter on the hike (she is some sort of splinter magnet?  At least she didn't shriek and scream bloody murder like she did in Sacramento!)  So Nathan had to get part of it out on the hike, and then both he and I worked on the last part once we got back to the campsite.  She looks like she is even laughing a bit here, but don't be fooled--Faith is not our "stoic" one, LOL.  Ah, the drama of girls.

 Saturday night we started a new tradition--a Mexican night with friends!  I made 10 pounds of Amy's nacho meat and beans Thursday so we could just heat that up, along with 2 huge bags of tortilla chips and sour cream.  Christine brought taco shells,cheese, homemade guacamole, tomatoes, salsa, and lettuce, and Shannon brought more chips and salsa, plus brownies and cookies for dessert.  And of course we had s'mores!  It was so yummy and easy!

 Here Nathan is demonstrating a card trick to an interested audience.

 Isaac took Drew on some ripstick rides, which Drew loved.  Drew does not live the life of an average 18 month old, LOL.  He looked so cute in the helmet!

 Sunday we had church in the morning, and then after lunch, we mustered up the energy to go for another hike, this time to a lake.  Drew was absolutely and completely exhausted after his restless night, and he zonked out in the backpack, much to our great relief.  The hike was mostly downhill on the way there, and the last section was pretty steep, so we were wondering how the girls and Micah would do on the way back.  There is a little beach at the lake, and the girls all wore their swimsuits.  Faith had the most fun, I think.  Grace dipped one toe in, got it muddy, and decided she would rather play on the playground with Micah and Drew.  Anna went in but was also grossed out by the slimy gook on the bottom, and she told us she was definitely NOT going in the lake next year!  As we were getting ready to head back up the trail, another family who was camping with us drove by.  They offered to take back as many kids as would fit, so we very happily sent back the 3 girls and Micah.  Shannon also went back with her little girl, as well as Elena.  That made the hike back much more pleasant for all of us!  It was definitely a steep climb at the beginning, and I'm sure Micah and the girls would have complained vigorously, LOL.  Luke wore the backback with Drew for the way back, so he gets lots of bonus points there.  Halfway back, Craig McC took his older 3 boys on a different trail to do some rock climbing.  Nathan was quite excited about that, so he went too.

When we got back, we began the laborious process of tearing everything down.  We had a bit of a time crunch--there was a potluck dinner at 6:00, and we wanted to be done before then!  We got one tent down by 6:00.  They go up faster than they go down!  After the potluck (we brought teriyaki chicken strips that I cooked at home and just reheated there), I continued tearing down.  Nathan went to work on 2 "pie iron contest" recipes.  A pie iron is a square metal thing that opens up and is on 2 long poles, so you can stick something in there and cook it in the coals of a fire.  They've had this contest for several years, but we didn't even have a pie iron before last weekend, when Bob ordered 2 from Amazon!  They are fun little things for camping, and you can definitely make yummy things in them.  Nathan made a caramel apple pie one in a crescent roll crust, and another one with hot fudge topping and coconut (I didn't try that one, if you can believe it).

Everyone had lots of input for the chef.  It was like an episode of "Chopped"!  So much fun!

So after the contest, we were able to finish getting loaded up, and we finally got home around 10:15--exhausted and filthy!  Everyone except Nathan, Luke, Caleb, Bob and me were fast asleep, so we just brought them all in and put them straight to bed.  We unloaded the bare minimun, some of us took showers, and then we fell asleep into bed.  It is so lovely to be in one's own bed, especially after camping!  Baths, showers, and laundry were the first things on the agenda after breakfast, though.  I'm still tired. I think it will take a few days to recover from all the fun, but we are all looking forward to next year!

Testing's Done Too!

I'm in charge of standardized testing for our co-op, and that is the last big thing for me each school year, so it is always such a huge relief to have it over and done!

We tested Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but one boy was sick yesterday and couldn't come, so I had to go to his house and finish testing him this afternoon.  It didn't take long, and I was able to tape up the big box o' tests at his house and take it straight to the UPS store to ship it off.  Yay--gone!

We had a much smaller group testing this year.  We only had 15 families (29 students), down from 21 families and around 40 students last year, which was down from the year before.  I think the main difference is that now you can administer both Iowa and Stanford tests at home (used to be just Iowa) to just your own kids, and a lot of the younger families are choosing that option.  If I only had a few kids, then maybe I would do that as well, but for me, it would take forever, and our house is not really the nice, quiet testing environment one would hope for, LOL.  So it is better to do it in a group.  Plus, as my kids get into 4th or 5th grade, I would want them to be used to testing in a group setting anyway, so I'm sure I would choose a group testing option at that point.  Unfortunately, in today's society, knowing *how* to test is a really important skill.  Might as well practice for a few years while it doesn't mean anything.

On that note, it was Grace's first year testing, and she loved it, as does Anna, the old pro.  Anna said on Wednesday morning, "I wish testing was 5 days, not 3!"  They think it is easy, and they love having special snacks like M&Ms with raisins to eat on their breaks, when they get to play outside on the playground (praise the Lord for 3 beautiful days of weather!).  The younger 3 kids had an absolute ball in the nursery with a few other kids and the wonderful volunteer moms who watched them.  I thought Micah especially might have issues, since he is so resistant to the church nursery now (and because by Wednesday, he was absolutely fried and needed to sleep longer), but he was fine with it too.  I'm sure it helped that Faith was in there too, as well as some other "big" kids.

With such a small number of families, it was a challenge to be able to have enough people to administer the tests.  The high school parents were fantastic about volunteering to test, but their kids are only there Monday and Tuesday, so I had to scramble to fill all the holes on Wednesday!  But it all worked out.  Whew!

Nathan and Luke didn't test this year, since they had both just taken the ACT in April.  I'm going to send those scores in to the county in July.  Tuesday they greeted an honor flight (so nice that Nathan can drive now!!), and Wednesday they had their last online history class.  So now they are done too, except for studying for the SAT II tests for US history and chemistry.

As for me, I am so tired!  For some reason, testing really wears me out.  I guess it's just being responsible for everything.  I'm glad it's over, and I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend, remembering all our brave soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom.  I do not take our freedoms lightly, and I know they have come at a very high price.  I see some of that price every time I go to Bethesda, and also when I go to the commissary and drive by Arlington Cemetery.  And it reminds me to pray for those in other countries who don't have these freedoms, like Meriam, the pregnant Christian Sudanese woman who has been sentenced to death for her faith, and for Pastor Saeed in Iran, who actually in an American, but is being held and tortured over there for his faith.  I encourage you to pray for them, and other persecuted believers around the world, as well this Memorial Day weekend and then keep on praying!

Finishing Up!

Ahhh, it's my favorite time of the year--the time when everything is finishing up and winding down.  The elementary co-op finished up the first week in May with a fun graduation picnic.  Now Caleb is in Rivendell full-time too!

We had our last Rivendell meeting Tuesday afternoon.  First Christine made a fun Jeopardy game for the younger kids to review their memory work, which was a huge hit.  Then we had our traditional ice cream party, complete with loads of toppings--sliced strawberries and bananas, walnuts, M&Ms, 3 different kinds of cookie crumbs, sprinkles, whipped cream, and chocolate, hot fudge, and caramel sauces.  Yummy!!

On Tuesday Nathan took the AP US Government exam.  He self-studied for that class, so we'll see how it ends up.  He felt pretty good about it--he was studying pretty diligently there at the end!  This afternoon he and Luke both took the AP microeconomics exam.  Christine prepared them really well for that exam, so they were fairly confident about it, unlike most of the other students in the room!  Those are the only APs they are taking, so now they are done, which is a huge relief!  We are currently all enjoying those little Dove chocolate-covered cranberries, as well as apple slices and caramel dip, for a special after-testing treat.  Not all their testing is done, though--they still will take SAT subject tests for US history and chemistry on June 7.  But for today--we celebrate!

Testing through our co-op is Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, so Caleb, Jonathan, Anna, and Grace are gearing up for that next week.  I'm just sending in Nathan and Luke's ACT scores from April for them, so they don't need to take the Stanford tests.  We have a much smaller group this year--only 15 families are testing with us.  That made it a little tricky for me (I'm the one in charge of it for the co-op) to find enough testers for the grade levels, but I think we're okay.  If we go down much lower, though, something might have to change. I'm still thinking through all that.  I think more people are just testing their own kids at home, since now you can do that with both Iowa Basic and Stanford.  That probably works great if you only have a few kids, but it would take a really long time for me, and what would I do with everyone else for all that time?  So we'll see.  But anyway, after testing is done next week, I'll be well and truly done, which will be wonderful!  Then we will just have to work through the summer to finish math books (we're behind where I want people to be) and Latin for Caleb and Jonathan.  And my big school-related priority for the summer is getting Faith reading fluently.  She's really close! 

And on that note, I'm off to exercise.  Some of us have to pay dearly for "celebrations"!

Ultrasound!

This afternoon I had my 20 week ultrasound at Bethesda.  I drove there, and Bob metro-ed in from the Pentagon.  Once again (like the other ultrasounds I've had at Bethesda only), the tech took me back and conducted the first part of the ultrasound, with all the measurements and images for the doctor to look at, in complete silence.  I took a nice nap, since I couldn't see the screen at all, while Bob just waited in the waiting room and read.

Eventually I realized it seemed to be taking a long time, and the tech was really pressing around.  I must have looked questioningly, because then she told me that the baby was facing away from her, and she was trying to get a picture of the face!  Eventually she told me to get up, use the restroom, and try to get the baby to change positions, while she showed the pictures to the radiologist.  I did all that, she came back with the radiologist, and when I laid back down and she tried again, the baby had turned, so the tech could get the pictures she wanted, and the doctor was happy with that.  While the tech went out to get Bob, the doctor did sit down and scan around himself, but he never said anything, so I don't know what that was about.

After Bob got there, and the doctor left, the tech spent about 3 minutes showing us the baby (everything looked good to me, for what it's worth, LOL), told me the due date from her measurements was Sept. 25, which is exactly the date from my LMP, and said she thought everything looked good, but that the radiologist would look at all the pictures and give a final report to the OB.  Then she tried to get a shot between the legs, and the baby was not really very cooperative!  The baby kept turning away from the screen, and one leg was raised.  I guess the tech hadn't looked at that area before . . .?  Anyhow, eventually the baby deigned to turn and move the one leg, so we could get a brief glance, and it *appears* that this baby is a girl!  The glance was brief, but the tech immediately started calling the baby "her", so maybe the tech actually had looked earlier and gotten a better view?  She didn't seem to be that concerned about the uncertainty!

So we're thinking it is a girl, which is what I had sort of thought it might be.  I have been more tired this pregnancy, and I was very tired in my pregnancy with Anna, who was also the first girl after boys.  Also, I had a terrible time with itching with Anna, and my left hand has had the same sort of rash I had with her off and on since I found out I was pregnant.  These aren't very scientific clues, obviously, but they led me toward thinking this baby might possibly be a girl!  Maybe some sort of hormonal difference?  My boy pregnancies are basically symptom-less.  I don't have many issues with girl pregnancies either, so any difference is bound to be a little thing!  Luke has been thinking it's a girl too--because a girl would complete the pyramid of first 4 boys, then 3 girls, then 2 boys, and finally 1 girl on top.  As a math major, I am all about the patterns, LOL.

Now we move on to considering names (I guess we will still have to come up with a boys name, just in case, but there we are really scraping the bottom of the barrel!), and to where this new little one will eventually fit, bedroom-wise.  It's a good thing we have a big walk-in closet, with a window, even!  Drew had the closet as a bedroom for over a year, and this one will follow in his footsteps.  I will say it is hard to believe that even as we think about where to put another kid, we have to also start thinking about kids moving out.  : (  That is so sad!  But we will have about a year together before Nathan graduates, so right now we will just think happy thoughts about that, and not weepy, hormonal, pregnant thoughts about him leaving . . .

Rugby Tutorial

Today I spent 4 hours watching rugby.  Nathan had a game in downtown DC, at Gonzaga High School.  It was a bit tricky to find, since our GPS decided we should take the scenic route, and we meandered through the monuments and the tunnels by the Capitol for awhile, but we did indeed make it.  I watched the last half of a game that was in progress, all of the "A side" game, and then all of the "B side" game, which was the one Nathan played in.  That's a lot of rugby (and sun) for one day!  Now that I have all the experience from this season, I am taking it upon myself to explain the basics of the game for those of you who are as in the dark about this sport as I used to be.

Rugby starts off with a kickoff, like a lot of sports.  When the other team gets the ball, they run, and even when they get tackled, they just keep handing the ball off, without stopping play. The ref hardly blows his whistle!  Sometimes the play gets stopped with no penalty, and then a "scrum" happens.  Nathan is the "scrum half" for his team.  The 2 teams meet in this complicated hug sort of thing, and (if they have the ball), Nathan rolls the ball down the middle (but more to his team's side).  There is lots of grunting and pushing of the whole pile, while the players kick around at the ball with their feet (still with their arms locked together).

Nathan runs around to the back of his side, and eventually the ball squirts out (that's the plan anyhow--sometimes the other team kicks it out their side).  He grabs it, if possible, and then he laterals it slightly behind him to the backs that are waiting.  Then they start running, and the play starts again.

There is a lot of tackling, but amazingly, not too many injuries.  And none of the bone-jarring crunching you hear in football either!  Nathan says when you aren't wearing a helmet and pads, you are a lot more careful about tackling, and you definitely don't use your head as a weapon!

When someone gets tackled, the team forms a "wall" (or, if you want to be technical, a "ruck"), and the guy on the ground tries to get the ball out behind him to his teammates, who then continue the play.  No whistles!  The ideal plan is to pitch the ball to one back, who then pitches it just slightly behind himself to another waiting guy when it looks like the first guy is going to get tackled, and then on to a 3rd or even 4th guy, as they try to make the turn up field.

When the ball goes out of bounds, there is a throw-in, but unlike in soccer, the 2 teams have these "flyer" people who get hoisted up in the air by the waistbands of their shorts and try to bat the ball towards their waiting teammates.  Like a cheerleading stunt or something!

Also the above picture shows something a bit unusual about rugby--shirtless guys everywhere.  Each rugby team can only have like 15 jersey numbers, and the number you are is dependent on your position.  So when Nathan is scrum half, he is always #9, as is the scrum half on the other side.  If someone goes in as a sub, then the guy he is replacing has to peel off his sweaty jersey, and the sub puts it on.  Nice!  So waiting subs just stand around with no shirt on half the time.  I had really wondered about this whole jersey thing--I couldn't understand why the teams couldn't afford to get shirts for everyone!  Nathan had to explain it to me on the ride home today, LOL.

When someone eventually crosses the goal line (which is called a "try"--the actual score is, I mean), the team gets 5 points and a kick for 2 extra points if it goes through the goal posts.  But the kicker has to kick the ball (always just a drop kick, never with a tee or anything) from the spot where the guy who scored crossed the goal line, so if he was way off to one sideline, then the kicker has a crazy angle.  The ideal case, obviously, is to run it in right down the middle of the field!

So those are the basics of play.  It is really a fun and exciting game, especially because there is always something happening!  If one team feels like they are too close to their own goal line, then they just up and kick it away--and then the other team might catch the ball and kick it right back!  Or run with it or whatever.  Plenty of options, and the game just keeps on going.  I can't believe more people don't play/watch this game!  My friend Johanna said on facebook that she thinks it is because people don't think it is a "safe" game, since everyone isn't covered in pads from head to toe.  All I can say to that is that I've seen several very serious injuries in our years of football, but the worst I've seen this season of rugby is a guy with a bloody nose!  Not that injuries don't happen in rugby of course--Bob played intramural rugby at USAFA and crawled off the field on his elbows, needing both ACLS replaced--but I'm not seeing the concussions and other things that are making the news in football right now.  You should definitely try to watch a game!  You might get hooked!

Celebrations at CiCi's

Last night we had dinner at CiCi's, which is a great place to take a big family with lots of growing boys.  We went there for 2 reasons.  One, it was Grace's actual birthday, she likes pizza, pasta, salad, and dessert, and I was happy to not cook.

Two, it was an awards ceremony for Nathan's CAP drill team that participated in the National Cadet Competition the end of March.  Well, technically it was just a "regional" competition, since, due to the sequestration, they didn't have enough money to actually have the national competition this year.  Still this was the first year Nathan's squadron had entered a team, and most of the team was really, really young and low in rank.  It was a good building year.

They started practicing in January, and it was a huge time commitment!  I was so thankful for Lynnea, who shared the carpooling duties, since her daughter Helena was also on the team.  Practices on Tuesdays were especially crazy once Nathan started rugby.  He would get home around 5:43, Lynnea would pull into the driveway, he would leap out of the car and take a 1 minute shower, throw on his uniform pants and shirt, grab his shoes and whatever else he needed, then race out the door again so they could get to CAP at 6:15 to practice before the meeting.  Whew!

There were several aspects to the competition:  a volleyball tournament (they placed first), a mile run (they placed second), a written exam (2nd), standard drill, innovative drill (2nd), panel quiz (first), and a uniform inspection.  Overall, they placed second.   Last night Nathan was awarded the "most valuable cadet" trophy, voted on by the team!  He was their second place runner for the team, and he answered most of the questions for the panel quiz, leading the team to their victory there!

So it was a really fun night!  Drew approved of the food, for sure!

Super Birthday Celebration!

Tonight we celebrated the birthdays of 3 very special people!  My dad's birthday was yesterday, Grace's is tomorrow, and Bob's is Friday.  Busy week!  We had a special dinner of grilled steak, cheesy potato bake, roasted brussel sprouts, stir-fried green beans, and a fruit salad--almost identical to Anna's birthday menu!  Bob gets the "hardy griller" award.  The rain was at times torrential, but he persevered, and the steaks were delicious!

After dinner, we ate my dad's favorite coffee cake along with ice cream, and then we opened presents.  Grace got a mini American Girl doll and book set, just like Anna (different doll though), another book, a scarf, and a chocolate dipping pot from Grandma and Grandpa that we are looking forward to using on Friday when we make chocolate-covered strawberries to bring to Bible study for dessert!

My parents came into town Sunday around dinner time.  They had been at White Sulphur Springs last weekend, celebrating the retirement of Clay and Marty Thomas, who were the center directors for 25 years.  WSS definitely won't be the same without them!  They came on staff I think the 3rd year I was working there on support staff, back when I was 16.  They were wonderful mentors, and I am so thrilled that Nathan was also able to be on staff under them!  Luke and the rest of our kids will get to know the new couple, and I am positive they will be just as wonderful!

My parents are only here for a few days, but we have really enjoyed visiting with them (and celebrating birthdays!).  They are on their way tomorrow to visit a bunch of different friends all over the southeast.  Hopefully it will stop raining, and they won't encounter any of the flooding that I've been seeing all over the news!

Meet Bruno!

Bruno is the sweet little rabbit we got from Karynn and Zachary L. on Sunday.  He's a dwarf Rex, which means his fur is about the softest thing you can imagine.  His fur is so soft because of the "rex mutation", which is recessive and causes the hair to stick straight out from the body.  Also, hairs that normally are stiffer, the guard hairs, grow to be the same length as the softer down hairs (usually they are longer), so you don't feel them.  He's a beautiful chocolate brown color, with lighter brown patches on the back of his head, and his tummy is whiter.  He has the cutest little fuzzy tail!

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We set him up in the study, and we have gradually given him more and more space in there.  Yesterday we hooked up the dog pen exercise area to the cage, so now we can just open up the cage and let him come out and run around.  This is especially nice when I am typing up chemistry problems at night in the study.  Bruno romps around his little area, and I don't feel so alone!  Of course, I also get distracted and go in the pen to visit, LOL.  I love having a pet that doesn't make any noise, other than rustling around.  This house does not need any more noise!

In his actual cage, we bought a little wicker tunnel thing for him to be able to hide in when he feels like there are just too many people (kids, LOL) around.  He made use of that on Tuesday especially, with all the extra Rivendell kids wanting to see him!  He likes to take naps in there as well.  We are tiring him out with all this exercise!

He's so curious!  I love to see him sniffing his little nose at everything.  When he runs around his pen, he leaps around, flicking his heels together.  It's so cute!

So yes, he is a little bit of a distraction for me, especially at night!  The books all said bunnies are most active early morning and in the evening, and that has definitely been true for Bruno.  Plus, I think he likes it when Micah and Drew are in bed.  Drew is scared of him (and who wouldn't be--such a ferocious creature!  Ha!), and Micah is excited and squealy whenever he moves around at all.  So Bruno likes coming out when they aren't around.  And I am happy to oblige!

Easter Excitement

Happy Easter!  I hope everyone celebrated the joy and hope of knowing Christ has risen, conquering death!

We had a lot of excitement in our day, some good, and some not so good.  Bob and the kids went to church earlier than me, because I was trying to finish getting food prepped for our potluck over at the L's house after church, and I knew we would need to be early to get seats for all of us.  So I came later in the Sienna, and of course there were no spaces left in the parking lot.  I was bringing an extra carseat of ours to loan to some friends, so I didn't want to park too far away, and there was a space along the curb right across the street from the church.  I backed in, and pulled up to straighten out the car--when all of a sudden, I hit part of a drain that was sticking out, and my front tire exploded!  It was such a complete shock!  I didn't think I was that close, and I was really just thinking about being late.  So then I was late AND upset.  What on earth were we going to do?!?  I found Bob inside and spilled my tale of woe.  He was glad I had just hit the curb and not someone or something, LOL.  I was very upset though.  We've been having some disagreements with some procedural issues in our church lately, but honestly, the parking issue may be the straw that breaks the camel's back here.  Bob doesn't like parking in front of the houses in the neighborhood anyway, because he feels like the neighbors wouldn't like it and it's a bad testimony.  So he prefers to park down the street, and across another bigger and busier street, in the parking lot for an elementary school.  That works okay when it's just him in his minivan, but sometimes I have to take Micah out to the (big) van (he goes through phases of pitching screaming tantrums in the nursery and I take him there to settle him down), and when I have to walk all the way over to the school, crossing a busy street with a tantruming toddler--well, that just doesn't work well either.  So when we are late, there just really aren't any good options, and it is incredibly stressful.

At least everyone else had come in the big van, so we were all able to go home in that, pick up the food, and head over to the L's.  Bob drove his van, and he went back to the church to drive my poor listing minivan across the street into the now deserted church parking lot, so at least the church neighbor didn't have an eyesore sitting in front of his house!

We had an absolutely lovely time as usual with our friends-who-are-like-family.  There were the L's, the P's, the McC's, The L's grown son and his wife, another family who moved here over a year ago from Ohio where they were in my parents' OCF Bible study, and one more newer family.  It was so nice to relax by eating delicious food and just fellowshipping!

Kendra, one of the newer moms, had suggested having an Easter egg hunt for the kids.  Bob had actually gotten up early and ran over to Walmart to get plastic eggs this morning!  We enlisted the help of all the teens to hide the eggs, and they enthusiastically met the challenge.  We told them to hide the eggs "obviously" in the front yard, for the little kids to find, and then in more challenging places in the back yard.

I think this is the first time pretty much all the younger kids (Anna on down) had even hunted for Easter eggs.  I never did it growing up, so it wasn't a meaningful tradition that I have wanted to for sure pass down or anything.  But the kids all had such a ball searching around for the eggs!  Well, Drew wasn't really all that interested in looking.  He did enjoy eating anything he found in an egg, however.

Back in the back yard, the middle aged group of kids had a tougher time!  Here Jonathan is demonstrating this higher level of hunting, as he vainly reaches for the egg in the crook of the tree above him.  He had to use the stick Isaac is handing him to jab it down.  Many eggs were hidden way up in trees; hopefully they were all found, especially the hard-boiled ones, LOL.  The weather was so absolutely beautiful.  The kids mainly just stayed outside and played once the hunting was over.  The older kids played a game of volleyball.  It was just such a pleasant day!   Kendra was surprised that this was the first time we'd ever done an Easter egg hunt over at the L's house, but as we were thinking on the past few Easters, it seems like they have been mainly cold and rainy--not much good for egg hunts!

After visiting for awhile, the next exciting thing happened--we got our very own Easter bunny!  Don't worry.  This is not one of those spur-of-the-moment pet store sales or anything!  Karynn and Zachary, the L's grown son and daughter-in-law, are moving into a smaller apartment, and they were trying to give away 2 of their bunnies.  Back in March she asked me if we wanted one, since I always have loved seeing their bunnies.  Well, truth be told, I have always wanted a bunny.  I just think they are so adorable!  Lynnea had offered us their bunny maybe a year ago, but I just couldn't see how it would work, so I passed.  Of course, the only different thing now is that I'm pregnant, so it must have been those crazy hormones!  Anyway, I said we'd take Bruno, but that we needed to wait until after all our spring break college trips were over.  That made today be a perfect day to make the big exchange!  Zachary and Karynn loaded us down with a cage, food bowl, water thing, litter box, dog pen thing for exercise, plus an old rug to put that on--everything we could need!  We cleaned out a space in the study for Bruno's cage, so he could out of the main traffic flow a bit.  He seems to be settling in quite nicely.  Eventually he was coaxed out of his cage, and he got to run around the pen with Caleb, and then with Jonathan.  He was so cute, sniffing everything and reaching up on his hind legs!  I'm sure I will be posting a ton of bunny pictures.  He's so adorable!

Caleb in particular has been wanting a more interactive pet than the fish we currently have for quite some time.  He was absolutely THRILLED to hear we were getting a bunny, and he has read most of the multitude of bunny books we have gotten out of the library, becoming quite the little bunny expert.  Hopefully he will retain that level of diligence when it is time to clean Bruno's litter box and cage!

VMI Visit

Tuesday we continued our tour of colleges, visiting Virginia Military Institute (VMI).  We had originally planned that we all would go, just like the Va Tech visit, but then the weather forecast was terrible, predicting rain and a cold front coming in all day.  So we decided the better part of valor was to have Bob stay home with all the younger kids, and just Nathan, Luke, and I make the trip!  Good thing too, because the day turned out to be just as miserable as predicted, weather-wise, LOL.  No kite flying on the drill field would have happened Tuesday!

We left at 7:00 and got to Lexington a little after 10:00.  We met our friends, Tim and Amy P. and their daughters, at the house of Tim's sponsor mom from when he was a cadet at VMI.  Tim and Amy volunteered to take us on a driving tour of Lexington and the campus, and, since there were only 3 of us, we all fit in their van!  It was wonderful!  I really liked the town of Lexington.  It had a really nice feel to it, and of course I loved driving around and seeing all the old houses and buildings!  VMI is on a hill right next to another school, Washington and Lee, which also used to be an all-male school.  I'm not sure who ever thought it was a good idea to put 2 all-male institutions right next to each other, especially with one being military.  There were apparently the occasional brawl.  Who would have thought?  But now they are both co-ed, and I think they co-exist up on the hill nicely, LOL.

Being up on a hill was really nice, I thought, because it gave some definition away from the town, unlike UVa, where the students were just swarming all over the streets, and it seemed like the city was encroaching on the campus (or more likely, the campus was encroaching on the city!).  I really liked the architectural look of VMI too--like a castle!  It was good that Tim could drive us around so we could really get a feel for the whole campus, even the sports fields and obstacle courses behind the main campus part.

After our driving tour, we picked up pizza and went back to the sponsor mom's house to eat that really quickly.  Then it was back to the campus for a walking tour.  Thankfully the rain held off pretty much during the tour, so we didn't get soaked.  A junior history/English major gave the tour, and he was really good--funny too!  He told us he wasn't really a tour guide, but he definitely gave us a good feel for life at VMI.  We were all so impressed by all the traditions there.  I'm pretty familiar with USAFA traditions, who the buildings are named for, etc., but this was all totally new!  And everything goes back so far!  Christine asked about "Confederacy stuff", but we definitely did not get that vibe at all.  When the guide was talking about a huge painting in their chapel building of the New Market Battle of the Civil War, where cadets (some as young as 13) actually saw combat and performed very heroically, he said that regardless of politics, what they did there was be courageous, take initiative, sacrifice, etc.--in other words, demonstrate the qualities that VMI is trying to instill in people.  So it was a really interesting tour.

After the tour, we went up to the math department to visit a professor who was a classmate of Tim's.  He was really nice, and it seemed to me that he would be a really good professor.  In fact, he said the math department was filled with really great professors (he excluded himself, LOL), and this year they were graduating something like 44 math majors, which really is pretty good for a school of just around 2000!  Math is not usually the most popular of majors!  We discussed how Va Tech is having most engineering majors in ROTC take 5 years, while VMI definitely does not give that option.  He admitted that engineering was definitely harder at a place like VMI, since you had to take more classes at a time, as well as deal with all the yelling and stuff from upperclassmen during the first year, especially.  He said that was why some people changed majors to math, LOL.  We didn't get to talk to an AF ROTC guy this trip, but I was wondering if that didn't explain why the Va Tech Corps lady (a lt. commander, I found out, thanks to Tim and his knowledge of Navy ranks!) was saying that Tech had such a higher rate of getting cadets into field training slots--the cadets there would have better grades than VMI cadets, since they have less pressures on them.  Interesting thing to consider, if in fact that is true.  We'll definitely ask that question when we do talk to an AF ROTC person up there!  Nathan is planning on going back in the fall to spend the night, and he will need to set up an interview as well, so we will be back down there, for sure.  Nathan is definitely still very interested in VMI!

After the tour, we visited the VMI Museum especially so we could see a model of a cadet room.  It was good to be able to see what people when when they talk about "rolling up the hay"!  Cadets sleep on these mattress things (used to be filled with hay), that they roll up during the day (done each morning before inspection) and that are put out on folding cots during the night.  Since 3 people are assigned to a room, it's a good things the beds are up out of the way during the day so they have enough room to move around!   The other exhibits were interesting too--so much history!  We bought a few things at the gift shop and then headed outside to take pictures.  We discovered that the rain had really started coming down while we were in the museum, and I definitely should have taken pictures during the tour!  Oh well.  So I only got these 2 pictures.  In the picture right above, Nathan and Luke are in front of a statue called "Virginia Mourning Her Dead", which is right in front of their engineering building.

After saying goodbye to the P's, Nathan drove us all the way back home, which was nice because I find that I am just really tired in the afternoons, and I knew I wouldn't be that safe of a driver, especially in the rain.  Then we were back to our usual schedule, rushing off to CAP, giving baths to the little kids, etc.  But it was a really great day, and I really enjoyed the time just with Nathan and Luke!

A False Impression

This morning I took Caleb, Jonathan, Anna, and Grace to their weekly homeschool swim class.  We got there about 10 minutes early, and they went off to the changing room to get ready.  Another mom came over to speak to me whose little son was in the class that was finishing up.  She mentioned how she had noticed how I had "several" kids, but that we were always on time--even early!--and I didn't seem rushed or anything.  She just has the one son, who is 3 1/2 right now (and she is 36 weeks pregnant), but she is always late and/or fogetting stuff, and it is just so stressful, so could I share some tips with her?

Hahahahaha!  I felt like laughing so hard!  How hilarious--she has the impression that we are always on time, and that I am so organized just based on watching us at swim class for a few weeks!  It just goes to show you really can NOT judge just based on limited interactions!!

Well, I quickly disabused her of the notion that we were EVER really on time, except in this one instance where I am bringing less than half of my children (the half that doesn't need much help at all getting out the door), and we only live 5 minutes away.  I described my extreme frustration on Sundays, where we are *always* late, and I usually feel like I shouldn't have even bothered going.   I told her that I was quite impressed that she was even attempting something like swim classes, being 36 weeks pregnant!  Hey, if it was just me trying to get Micah out the door all the time, we would almost certainly be late every single time.  Three year olds just aren't always that cooperative.

Then we started talking about homeschooling, and she said she was getting ready to start homeschooling her son.  She has already ordered the full Abeka pre-school curriculum!  I gave her the advice that my friend Suzanne gave me back when I was wanting to start homeschooling Nathan--work on character issues, obedience with a happy attitude, and lengthening his attention span first.  Then other learning will be much easier!  It's really not worth it to wrestle around with your 3 year old boy, trying to get him to do a bunch of worksheet pages.  Let him be a child and just play!  I said that was a huge benefit of homeschooling--not fitting your child into the holes a school environment wants to push him into, even if he doesn't fit them right then.  Also, I warned her about comparing her son with other kids his age, especially girls (this lady's personality made me worry that she would be the type to compare and worry, worry, worry), since boys often have a harder time sitting still, getting fine motor skills, etc.  She probably won't take a bit of my advice (I know I didn't when Nathan was little, LOL--look how far I've come!), but oh well.  And really, would you take a ton of advice from someone who just told you that your impression of them as organized and on-time was completely 100% wrong?!  Hahaha!

Monticello Visit

 So last Thursday night we slept in a nice Sleep Inn there in Charlottesville, where we met up with the McC's, who had spent the day at UVa.  Christine had all sorts of helpful information to pass on!  After a nice breakfast, it was on to Monticello, where we met up with the Cr family.  Michele, who teaches our 5th/6th grade lit class, had put together this field trip for us, and she did an outstanding job!

We filled a shuttle bus with Rivendell family and friends, and we made it over to the actual house right before our tour started at 10:10.  We had such a great tour guide--knowledgeable and enthusiastic.  We wished we could have had someone like her for our tour of the ship in San Francisco harbor 2 months ago!

I really enjoyed seeing the house, especially Thomas Jefferson's chamber.  I just loved all the windows and the lack of corners, with all the interestingly shaped rooms!  And his desk was so fascinating, with the "polygraph" machine he designed to make a second copy of what he was writing, and the turning fold-up book rack.  I want one of those!  I was really impressed by Jefferson's willingness to learn whatever he needed to do whatever he had set his mind to.  Very inspirational!

We were there right before Jefferson's birthday (which was April 13), and there was quite a little celebration going on!  Bob had to take Drew out of the tour because he was so fussy, so Bob was listening to a speech being given.  He said it was absolutely awful--very anti-capitalistic--and he had to come back inside, rather than stay out and torture himself by listening anymore!  But by the time we got out there, a fife and drum corps was giving a little concert AND there was birthday cake!

The kids happily ate birthday cake and listened to the music.

Then it was on to a tour of his gardens with another knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide!  This lady carried around with her a copy of a book about the gardens, which used extensive research into the very detailed diaries that Jefferson kept to be able to recreate the gardens today as they were when he was alive.

After that tour was over, we managed to get a group shot looking out towards the beautiful mountains.  You can't see Drew's head because he is pitching a terrible temper tantrum and being terribly uncooperative!  And it was time for lunch, so we walked back down to the visitors' center, where we ate.  We had brought a picnic lunch, but the other families bought from the little cafe they have there.

After lunch, we watched a 15 minute film called "Thomas Jefferson's World", and then we toured an exhibit there in the visitor's center.  It had a lot of details about the building of the house, which I found very interesting.  Really, there are so many interesting details about Jefferson's life because he kept such meticulous diaries!  It is such a gift that a man who ended up being so famous and leaving such a lasting legacy kept such detailed notes.  You would think that someone keeping those diaries would have to be really boring, not someone famous, lol.

Then we headed downstairs to the "Discovery" area, where they had all sorts of hands-on things for the kids to do--even try out a reproduction of the polygraph machine!  The kids were all kept busy in here for awhile.

This is Anna's lovely house.  Just a few minutes after this picture was taken, Micah melted down, and we had to make a speedy exit!  It had been 2 long days for him and Drew, poor babies.  They fell right asleep in the van!

We took the opportunity to drive through the campus of UVa, just so the boys could see it.  They really weren't that impressed.  There were so many students swarming all over, and there were busy roads with lots of traffic all around.  Plus, Charlottesville is just a bigger city than Blacksburg, and that's not actually an advantage in their minds.  On our way out, we took a wrong turn, so we had to drive down a road with a bunch of fraternity houses.  People were just milling around, climbing on roofs, etc., and the houses just looked pretty ratty.  That was the final nail in the coffin, lol, and neither boy now has any desire to go there.  Although when Luke is really looking at schools, we will probably go back down and actually take a tour and meet with people.  That will be better than just a drive-through!  Nathan for sure doesn't want to go someplace with just a small ROTC detachment, so it's a non-issue for him.

We had such a fun day, and we were so thankful the weather was so beautiful for this whole little trip!  We made it home that night and were so glad to be there.  I was so tired.  The next day Nathan and Luke had to get up early to take the ACT.  Nathan was able to drive himself and Luke over there, which was absolutely lovely!  That gave me some time to recover!  

Virginia Tech Visit

On Thursday, we got up really early (4:30 for me) and left at 6:00 to drive down to Blacksburg for a college visit.  Good thing we had all that practice of getting up and out early when we were trying for space-a flights back in February!  I will say I am SO glad we made that trip back in February when I was not very far along.  This time getting up so early and driving a lot about did me in!

Anyhow, the night before Bob had gotten home really, really late with Anna and Micah after this big baseball game adventure.  We had been planning on making it down to Tech by 10:00 to go to an information session about the Corps of Cadets, but Bob and I decided we would just skip it and sleep in a little bit longer.  We neglected to tell Luke, however, so at 4:20 or so he came in and asked if we were leaving anytime soon.  I mumbled something about leaving later, but I did wake up enough to realize I had to pee, and if I got up to do that, I might as well shower and just get up.

So we were able to make it (barely) in time for the Corps session, and we were so glad we didn't miss it, because it was very informative!  Luke, Nathan, and I went.  One of the things I stayed up late doing the night before was printing off maps and whatnot, so we were able to drive directly over to the building we needed to be at.  An active duty Naval officer (sorry--I simply can not keep Navy ranks straight!) in the chain of command there gave the briefing, and she talked a mile a minute, packing in all sorts of information.

There are about 1,076 cadets in the corps, which means there are hundreds of leadership positions in charge of 30 or more people.  You can be in the Corps without being in ROTC, and 30% take this civilian leadership track.  She said Air Force had the best 3 year ROTC scholarships, and they have the 6th largest AF ROTC detachment in the US.

When you get there, you are put into a freshman company of 30 people (your "buds"), and you become really, really close with them.  In fact, after the first 6 weeks you get some passes to go no more than 50 miles from campus, but the catch is all 30 of you have to be together.  The first year sounded a ton easier than an academy--really only the first 6 weeks are very restricted (no TV/music in rooms, no going off campus, etc.).

She talked a lot about how the Corps tries to help make the academic transition from high school to college easier.  They give you a planner and help you plan out each day from all of your syllabi.  They put you into a study group with 5 other freshmen in your major, along with a sophomore who is also in the same major, to help you with assignments and whatever you don't understand.  You have to study 2 hours for each hour of class, and there are designated study hours in the Corps dorms.  She went on for awhile, and it really did sound like good support.

She talked really fast, but even so, she ran later than we expected, and as soon as she wrapped it up, we had to bolt over to an engineering information session that started at 11:15, so we didn't get to talk anymore with her or ask any questions, which was too bad.  She was really nice!

The engineering session mainly just talked about the different engineering majors offered at Tech.  We did find out that most ROTC students who are also engineering majors take 5 years to finish.  This was surprising, since the Corps lady didn't say a word about it, but it was confirmed by several people.  We were impressed by the rigor of the engineering program, as well as by all the project opportunities for the students.  The only problem with the session was that the room was about 100 degrees, I had left my water bottle in the car when we bolted out to the first session, and I thought I was going to pass out!  I ate a protein bar, but still--I was very glad when it was over!  Nathan did say after the session that he thought he would stop saying he was planning on majoring in electrical engineering, but rather just "engineering", since there were other choices that really interested him as well.

We caught up with Bob and the rest of the kids, who had eaten while we were in the 2 sessions, and they took us over to Taco Bell so we could grab a quick bite.  Then it was off to a meeting with one of the Air Force ROTC officers, a captain.  He was very nice, but he was not really talkative or much into volunteering any extra information.  He showed us a powerpoint presentation on the detachment there (which confirmed the 5 year engineering thing and explained how it worked), and answered a few questions we came up with, but that was it.  He definitely didn't initiate any conversation!  The meeting only took about 30 minutes.

Next, we met up with a cadet named Joe who is a junior there currently on an Army ROTC scholarship.  Lynnea hooked us up with him, and what a blessing that was!   Originally, we had planned to visit UVa this day, but Nathan is not remotely interested in going there, so we ended up deciding to do this visit instead.  But by the time we decided, there were no more slots available for the campus walking orientation tour, and I was so disappointed.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, however.  Joe took us on a personal tour of the whole campus from a Corps/ROTC perspective, which was much more helpful than some generic tour!  He was just so very nice!  We really enjoyed our time with him.  He was in the middle of inspecting some rooms when we finished up with the ROTC guy, so we got to tag along with him while he finished, seeing the rooms and talking to other cadets.  It was so nice!  We were really impressed by the atmosphere in the Corps.  Everyone was so friendly, and they seemed genuinely happy to be there.  It was really nice seeing all the uniforms around campus too, especially around the "upper quad" where the Corps dorms are, which is really close to the engineering/math buildings.  You definitely won't stick out like a sore thumb just because you are in ROTC, like in schools with a really small detachment.  One small cool detail--the dorm we were in is called "Monteith Hall"--my grandparents' last name!

The campus is really pretty, and we were there on an absolutely beautiful spring day.  But you will have to google if you are curious because I did not take one single picture the entire day.  I guess I was just really, really tired!  Tons of students were hanging out on the drill field in the center of campus.  I really love the style of architecture they have gone with--sort of old English look, I guess you would call it.  They are in the process of tearing down and rebuilding the Corps dorms and classroom buildings.  They have torn down one main dorm, and it is supposed to be rebuilt and finished fall 2016.  The whole project is supposed to be finished fall of 2019.

Joe had to go to another class at 3:15, so after thanking him profusely for sharing his time and experience, we met back up with Bob and everyone else.  They had been enjoying the drill field as well, flying a kite and eating apples!  Then we headed over to the house of Rob and Chandra Enos, who are part of the Valor ministry to the Corps.  Valor is the military ministry arm of "Cru", which used to be Campus Crusade.  They used to work at White Sulphur Springs, so it was so fun to catch up with them, as well as get their take on the Corps.  It is so nice to know that if Nathan went there, he would already know people in ministry and be able to plug right in there.

We left Blacksburg around 5:30 to drive to Charlottesville, where we spent the night before touring Monticello on Friday with Rivendell.  It was an absolutely exhausting day (for me, anyway), but it was very much worth it.  Nathan and Luke both were very excited about Virginia Tech, saying they could definitely see themselves there.  Our next college stop is VMI, so it will be very interesting to see how that compares!

Happy Birthday, Micah!

We are well in the throes of our "birthday season", where the birthdays come one right after the other.  This time, it was Micah, who turned 3 on April 9!  We started the celebration a little bit early, on last Saturday, when we gave him his "big" gift--a balance bike!  If you don't know what those are, they are little bikes with no pedals, so the child can work on balancing before worrying about pedaling.  We've seen them before (and even had friends who sold them!), but for some reason, we've just never gotten around to buying one for ourselves.  You can imagine Micah is absolutely LOVING his "big boy" bike!

After the bike giving, we all ate ice cream, of which we had a whopping 5 varieties to choose from!

I knew Micah's actual birthday was going to be a crazy day, so I decided we would do a little something on Tuesday for Rivendell.  So I baked cookie dough brownies in the morning, and after the younger kids cam back from TNT, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Micah.

For some reason, he was very unsure about the whole"sing to me" thing, even though he loves to sing to others!  He turned his head away and even started crying, which reminded me so much of Luke in his younger days, who also hated having the attention of everyone on him, especially on his birthday!

But all was well when Luke pointed out to Micah that now he could blow out the candles.  Whew!

On Wednesday, Micah's actual birthday, Bob took him, Anna, and Ian, our friend from church, out to a Nationals game.  They had a fantastic time!  The weather was nice, the people around then were a really fun group, and the Nationals won in a shoot-out, 10-7!  On the metro on the way home, Bob and some other random guy got the whole car to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", and after that, "Happy Birthday" to Micah!  Then this other person gave Micah a foul ball that he had snagged during the game.  Fun time!  They didn't get home until after midnight, though, so it was a long day for a little pumpkin, even though he had just turned 3!

The Dawn of a New Age

I remember when Nathan turned 13, and we started leaving him along with the kids.  It was so freeing to be able to go out for a quick dinner, or run to Lowes or somewhere, without having to take everyone!  And as he and Luke got older, and I got more and more confidant leaving everyone with them (and now Caleb), it has gotten better and better.

A few weeks ago, Nathan got his driver's license, but I've just been so nervous about letting him actually drive by himself.  It hasn't helped that he had all those extra CAP practices for the competition, and the timing was always so rushed, plus we were carpooling.  But now the competition is over, and I finally bit the bullet.  On Wednesday evening, he drove himself and Luke over to the McC's to watch a movie.  It was SO nice not having to drop them off or pick them up!  And then yesterday he drove himself to his orthodontist appointment in the morning AND to rugby practice in the afternoon.

Oh my goodness.  It was so wonderful to not have to be gone in the morning and the afternoon!  I was able to go through a huge pile of mail and papers in our kitchen, throwing stuff out and shredding others, and STILL have time to make dinner because I didn't have to be gone from 2:30-3:30, and then again from 4:45-5:45. What a concept!  It was so nice.  I won't pretend I wasn't really nervous, because I was, especially when Nathan didn't actually get home from rugby until 6:00 (traffic was bad on one of the main roads, which frequently happens, but still . . . I was nervous, LOL).  I think this is going to be a wonderful thing.

The good thing is that Luke should be getting his license a little before Nathan leaves for college, so we'll have continous extra driving coverage even after Nathan goes.  Then we'll have a year between Luke's leaving and Caleb getting his license, which will be very difficult for me, I know, LOL.  I will have been so spoiled!  We'll have another gap year between Jonathan and Anna, but once she gets hers, I think we won't have another gap until everyone has graduated!  And people think we didn't plan our kids (haha, that was a joke . . .)!  Just pray for me--lots of potential for gray hairs between now and then, LOL.

Continuing the Celebration

We may not be great at doing spectacular things on the exact day of each person's birth, but we are great at prolonging the celebrations!  We continued celebrating Anna's 8th birthday all weekend long!  She opened her presents Saturday night, instead of Monday, since Monday night is so busy, with Rivendell the next day.  We figured Nathan would rather be there for the birthday dinner (Monday) than for the present opening!

Anna is modeling a scarf in her favorite color ("teal") from her Grandma and Grandpa G.  They also got her the pink cupcake maker.  It turns out that Anna may not like "regular" cake and frosting, but that is only when she isn't making it!  She and the other girls spent Sunday afternoon making cupcakes, and she was so happy that she could do it all pretty much herself.  They were yummy!

Anna also got an American Girl book about McKenna (sp?), who is a gymnast, so Anna started in right away on that book.  When I was in Sams a few weeks ago, I saw these cute boxed sets of American Girls books which included a mini-doll.  I was so excited, even though there wasn't very much selection for characters.  Anna loves dark hair, so I picked Samantha for her.  Now the other 2 girls want one too (don't tell, but I bought 3 different sets--yay!).  And we got Anna a kite, which hopefully we can use even this weekend, if the weather will just stay spring-like!

Of course, we had freshly-made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, as well as ice cream on Sunday!  Monday we had Anna's birthday dinner.  You can tell she is growing up, because she picked a really great meal!  We had grilled steaks, a thin-sliced cheesy potato bake, roasted brussel sprouts, and fruit salad with grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and her new favorite kiwi fruit.  We had practically no left-overs, so everyone else approved of her choices as well, LOL.  I think Anna had a very nice birthday celebration, one worthy of such a sweet girl!

"Tired"

That's pretty much my reply when anyone asks how I am doing.  I feel just fine--no sickness or any other issues--but boy, am I tired!

Some of that is from exercise.  I've already started exercising at least once a day, in hopes of keeping the gestational diabetes as bay.  Unfortunately, it isn't working according to plan, as I just failed my early 1-hour glucose screen on Thursday (I'm only 14 weeks along).  Sigh.  So now I need to find a morning where I can spare 3 hours, plus driving time, to take the 3 hour test.  Failing it was not a complete shock or anything, but still, there's nothing like "failing" to really depress someone who is not used to failing any tests at all!  I think my body can deal with a reasonable diet with plenty of exercise, but it really can not deal with that modified hummingbird nectar that is the nasty orange glucola.  When I think of how many liters of that stuff I've drunk over the course of 10 pregnancies . . . blech!!

Some of the fatigue is just from a busy schedule.  Wow, do things just get busier with kids in high school!  And since I also wear the "guidance counselor" hat, I am constantly feeling like there are things I should be doing, as Nathan ends his junior year.  Some of that involves college visits.  We're trying to set some up for our spring break, but it's really not my thing, and I don't know what is worth it or not.  Let's just say no one around here is particularly happy that their spring break is going to be spent visiting colleges!

Each week has a lot going on.  Mondays Anna and Grace have gymnastics in the afternoon.  Tuesdays we have 2 co-ops, plus Nathan's rugby practice from 3-5, and then Civil Air Patrol for Nathan, Luke, and Caleb at night (and we are eternally grateful for my friend Lynnea, with whom we carpool!).  Wednesdays Caleb, Jonathan, Anna, and Grace just started a homeschool swimming class.  Also Nathan, Luke, and I have been tutoring at a local elementary school in the afternoon.  This has been so rewarding and fun, and we have really enjoyed working with the kids and building relationships.  In fact, last Saturday and today, Nathan and Luke helped with a pinewood derby held there at the school for the kids.  Thursdays are light, as the only regular thing is Nathan's rugby practice Thursday afternoon, which means that often doctor/orthodontist/etc. appointments are scheduled for this day.  Fridays I meet with Kimberly for our Bible study, usually in the afternoon, and then we have our OCF study in the evening.  Saturdays always have some CAP or rugby thing going on, as well as other random things, and Sunday is church, flag football for those refereeing it, and teen Community Bible study for Nathan and Luke.  In between all this is laundry, school, grading, chemistry prep and so on.

Which is not to say that everyone else in the world isn't busy too, because I know everyone is!  But for some reason what we have going on now is just really fatiguing for me personally, and I find myself constantly falling more and more behind with laundry, housework, and so on.  I'm just so tired!  The discouraging thing is that right now, we could afford to have someone come in once a month and help clean--but I can't get the house decluttered enough to have someone come!  Ack!  Which is why the thought of spending the week of spring break touring colleges, instead of getting caught up on the piles of laundry and paper clutter is not appealing, LOL.

And the thing is--this (school) year is really a "light" year for me.  I am only teaching chemistry and memory work.  I'm only pregnant.  Next year I'll be back to teaching 2 big classes (anatomy and physiology for the high schoolers, and life science for the junior highers), as well as the Latin I class I taught Nathan and Luke a few years ago now I'll be teaching to Caleb, Jonathan, Daniel McC, and at least one more person, and I'll still be teaching memory work.  So that will be busy!  At least Faith should be reading fairly fluently by then.  But I'll also be dealing with a newborn, and nursing, and all that fun stuff.  I don't see me getting ahead in any areas next year, LOL.  Maybe I'll have a really productive summer?  Haha!  I crack myself up!  

So right now I would say that I am really having to depend on the Lord and his strength to get through each day.  It is so silly to think that God doesn't give us more than we can handle--of course he does, or else we would think we were getting by on our own strength!