Appalachain Thanksgiving

We had a great opportunity to travel out to Murphy, NC (Adrian's hometown) for Thanksgiving this year. Norfolk Christian's school schedule was such that there was some extra time that allowed for us to get out there without it being too compressed. So we headed west on Tuesday afternoon and got there without any difficulty. We are so blessed that the girls are amazing travelers. They sit very patiently for all those (10-11) hours. Typically, we stop for a long meal and let the girls play. It really helps. Our time in Murphy was--as always--very quiet and peaceful. There really is nothing to do so it is a very restful time and we love going out there. The girls have so much fun with much room to run and climb on the hills. The mornings were very cold but each day warmed up and was sunny and beautiful. We took walks down to the tressel bridge on the old train tracks that run (literally) right out of Sandra's yard. We played at the park and of course ate a lovely meal on Thursday. On Saturday mid-morning we headed back to Chesapeake. The best gift was that Adrian's grandfather, Mike, came down from Ohio to spend the holiday with all of us. It was a treasure as Mike is 92 now and we try to see him at least once a year. This usually happens at Christmas when we travel to Ohio, but this year Adrian is having shoulder surgery to repair damage resulting from a lifetime of sports. That is scheduled for Dec. 19 and we will not be going anywhere after that. The only surprising event came about 30 minutes before we left for home. It was then that we decided to bring a puppy that had been hanging around Sandra's house for three days back home with us.

So here's that story. On Thanksgiving the puppy followed Avril home as she walked up to Sandra's house. He'd been down the hill at another home and Avril assumed that was his home. She tried to return him, but no one was there. So it stuck around in Sandra's yard all day and was still there Friday morning. By late Friday afternoon Sandra had spoken to everyone nearby and all had assumed that it was someone else's puppy. He had a collar and looked in good condition. But no one had any idea of where he belonged. The thinking became that maybe he'd been abandoned. This is particularly amazing because this is a Rotweiller, not a mutt. Clearly, someone had paid good money for this dog. Perhaps an Atlanta family lost him. In Murphy though there is not a lot hope at the animal shelter. It's just different than the city. Regardless, it was heartbreaking to think of this tiny puppy left to survive on his own in the mountains. It may seem that all the while we were thinking about keeping him, but that really isn't the case. We don't want a puppy right now. That is not a responsiblity we're interested in. However, Sandra was also leaving on Saturday about hour after we left and after that the puppy was completely alone. Had she been staying, it would have not been an issue to leave him. She would've found someone to adopt the dog. We just felt like we could find a good home for the puppy so a few minutes before leaving we decided to take him with us. We stopped at Wal-mart (there is one there now) on the way out and got a little crate and bag of food. It'd certainly been a while since he had slept anywhere warm or eaten. We dreaded the thought of traveling with a dog in holiday traffic. But he seemed so happy to be somewhere warm and soft, that he never made a sound--for 11 hours! He was amazing. We couldn't believe it. We kept saying that he was making a strong case for getting a good home. On Sunday we took him over to my mom and Ron's house to see if they would like to keep him. He has been there this week and they will let us know by early next week what their decision is. If they choose not to keep him, we'll keep looking. He's a good dog. We all very quickly became attached. I hope we can find him a loving family. I'll let you know.

p.s. I know these pictures are small. If you double click on them, they will open up to a larger image.

Halloween

We decided to let our girls go trick or treating this year for the first time. They have been SOOOO excited for this day. They all chose their costumes a long time ago. Maia instantly knew she wanted to be a bride, Avril was Princess Leia and Eowyn was a ladybug. The excitement was overflowing and I had a fantastic time preparing them to go out. Adrian took them down the street to a friend's house. Grant is in Avril's class and we thought it would be fun to go together since we are new to the neighborhood. It was even cuter that Grant was Darth Vadar. We already had a wedding dress in the dress-up box. So Maia's costume didn't take any effort. Avril's really only required thought. But once I realized that my robe would make a very good white, flow-y gown, the rest was easy. Besides, it is really the hair that makes Princess Leia. Eowyn and my mom glued the dots onto a red cape that Adrian's mom made for the girls a while back. It turned out so much better than I had imagined. Adrian and the girls were gone about an hour and a half. I stayed home to pass out candy. They came home with their pumpkins filled with candy and enormous smiles. Eating the candy was its own reward. :) They had a wonderful time and I am so glad they had the chance to do it. Here's hoping their teeth don't fall out.

8 Years Old

We celebrated Avril's 8th birthday last Saturday, the 25th. This was her first real "friends" party. Six friends from her class at school came over to the house about 10am. It sounds early, but our original plan was to go to the park for the party and it's much emptier early in the morning. However, rain threatened most of the day so we changed our plans very early Saturday morning. It was really wonderful. We had such a fun time. The kids ran in the yard (because it didn't rain--HA!), bobbed for apples and played Pin the Ear on the Elephant (per Avril's request). Bobbing for apples was a huge hit as the kids thoroughly loved submerging their heads underwater. The elephant I made turned out pretty well. I am rather proud of this considering I have no artistic ability, but sometimes you're just feelin' it, and it turned out looking like a real elephant. :)
Adrian grilled out hot dogs to accompany our chips and veggie tray, caramel popcorn and apples to dip in caramel after the bobbing was finished. We had cake and presents. The kids, especially the boys, were duly impressed that Avril wanted a Star Wars cake. Several parents stayed and we adults really enjoyed visiting as the kids ran around. Avril was so blessed by the whole day. It was so meaningful for her to have school friends over and enjoy themselves at her party. She really loved it. It gave me such joy to see her so happy.
It astounds me that Avril is already 8. My memory of her birth is so vivid (perhaps it always remains that way) it seems just a few years ago. Am I really that old? Apparently so.
We have witnessed a lot of growth in Avril over this past year. God is clearly working in her heart. She has a lot of issues that will probably challenge her for many years, but there is grace also evident. For that I am grateful beyond words. She is a precious treasure and I am so thankful to have her.


Regarding the pictures: #1 & 2--the night before, after we finished decorating the cake;#3 Avril bobbing for apples. She got one too (sorry the order is mixed up); #4-6 Cake time!; #7 Playing with a cool toy--A Deep Sea Explorer Set (deep sea boat, man with tools and angler fish); #8 The reason that toy was bought. She chose an Angler fish for a project that was due the next week for school. It was the only I found. But it really is a cool toy that the girls will really enjoy playing with. And her project turned out really well. P.S. This was her gift from Grandaddy and Jill. Good job. :)

Encouragement

I lifted this hymn off of my friend, Tiffany's, blog. I love it. Every time I read it, it fills my soul with joy and strength. Hope it is a blessing for you too.

He Gives More Grace (by Annie Flint)

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

Similarly, I lifted this quote from my friend, Rob's, Facebook. (Rob was our Intervarsity Christian Fellowship staffworker at ODU. Now he's a pastor and planting a church in Seattle. Go Rob and Claudia!)

"This life, therefore, is not righteousness but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise; we are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it; the process is not yet finished, but it is going on; this is not the end, but it is the road."--Martin Luther

Maia 6.2--Cuter than Ever

Maia got her glasses today. She is so excited and looks adorable. Ironically, she didn't want her picture taken so she doesn't look quite as happy. But trust me, she was very eager to get her glasses. It should come as no surprise that she picked out the purple frames with flowers on them. Her biggest concern was if they would come with a case and especially a cloth to clean the lenses. This morning she received a pink case with purple hearts on it AND a snazzy pink and purple cloth. All met with much satisfaction. :) She is slightly far-sighted and will use them for reading, the computer, TV and seat work at school.

Hooray for Horses

A family in our church owns a little farm not far from our house. Their daughter, Suzanne, is taking my level 1 Spanish class this year. Her mom, Tonya, also is one of the Home School Enrichment teachers. One day early in the year, I mentioned to Tonya that Maia was starting up the inevitable requests, "I want a pony." And in chatting I said that I should bring the girls out to their farm to see the horses some time. Suzanne and her older sister, Katy, are riders and compete in equestrian events. So Tonya offered that we could have Suzanne give the girls riding lessons if we were interested. The truth is, this is something I've never considered before. I've always thought of horse lessons as out of our league. The more I thought about it though, the more it appealed to me. Especially because I am not sure an opportunity like this will present itself for our family. Also, soccer was feeling very overwhelming to me just prior to that season getting started. The horse riding lessons we've set up to be just once/month. That I can do. When we told the girls they started screaming and jumping up and down. It was so sweet. I don't think they ever thought this would be a reality either.
Yesterday (Saturday) was our first time out to the Lamb's farm. I barely got the van stopped before they had jumped out. Suzanne first showed them about brushing Angel and why it's important. Then she gave each of them a riding lesson. They all walked and trotted some. The girls were bursting with excitement. They did wonderfully. I am so happy that we have such a special chance to do this. Even more, the Lambs are a marvelous family and just spending time on the farm is a blessing.
So without further ado...here are the pictures.



#1-4 Brushing Angel with different types of brushes to get her ready to ride. #5-7 Avril gets the first turn to ride. #8 & 9 Maia's turn. #10 Maia in 2 point position (up on your toes out of the saddle~used for running, jumping, trotting, etc.) #11-13 Eowyn (definitely the most outspoken in her excitement) finally getting her turn. She even had a chance to trot, which did make my heart skip a little to see that tiny thing bouncing on a horse so much larger than herself. But she did great.

Future Grammy Winners?

The other night Maia asked me to type a song that she had created. I was doing well keeping my composure and acutally was impressed until we got to the end. Then it was effortful to keep typing with a straight face. But I truly appreciate and am so thankful for Maia's heart desire that was driving her song. In some ways it is so beautiful to me.
So of course Eowyn had to have her song that she'd written (how coincidental) typed up too. That one was MUCH harder to keep a straight face. Honestly, the first line I thought was funny but amazingly profound and wondered all the way through line 2 if we had a prodigy on our hands. But then it came back to reality. I was crying when she had Adrian sing it (since of course she can't read her song that's just been typed up.) I've been laughing all weekend thinking about it.

These are just too classic not to share. So here you go.

I Will Worship You, God
by Maia 8/29/08

I will lift up your heart
You will be my home
You will be my home
I will be in your heart
You will be in my heart
I will never turn back
I will never turn back
I can worship your name
I will love you forever and ever
I will never turn back from the only One
I will lift up your heart
I will lift up your heart
I can worship from the heart
I’ll never be able to turn back from you
I’ll stay with you; I will not stay with Satan
In the only Word, I will be in your heart
In your heart I will do anything for you
God is better than Satan
I can never ever believe that you’re my father

Untitled Song
by Eowyn 8/29/08

I’m not your house
You can never turn back
You are my best friend
I will never come back
And I can come back another day
Soon I can come back
I can be best friend if you want
Or I can be your church singer
Or I can be your best friend in the whole wide world
And you can be the singer
Or my teacher
Or my dancer
Or my video putter-in
You and I have to go
Bye
And then I can come back another day
And but you can be my game player when I come back

Now We Are Six

"I wasn't afraid," said Pooh, said he, "I'm never afraid with you."..."What would I do?" I said to Pooh, "If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: "True, It isn't much fun for One, but Two can stick together," says Pooh, says he. "That's how it is," says Pooh. Excerpt from Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne

My sweet Maia turned six years old this past Sunday. She had been so excited leading up to her birthday. I was so glad that we were able to have a special weekend for her. My nieces spent Saturday night with us. The five girls played all day and had a glorious time. After church on Sunday we got ready for people to come over for the party. Most of our family was able to join us as well as one of Maia's dear friends, Lily. Maia was blessed with such wonderful, thoughtful gifts. She has enjoyed them immensly. Maia had asked for a pinata. It turned out to be such a fun time. There were punching balloons inside so the girls blew them all up and ran around the backyard punching away. Shortly after that we had cake and ice cream.

Maia has grown so much over this past year. Having just begun school a week ago, the changes are particularly obvious. She is excited to be at school the whole day and is reaching out to others she doesn't know and introducing herself. This summer I witnessed her do this very thing with a little girl at the pool. I was stunned and so proud of her.

Maia is so tender-hearted and we are abundantly blessed to have her in our family.

Waiting to open presents SuperSoaker!

Finally celebrating a long awaited day. Eowyn's assault on the pinata.

Lily took the first damage. Avril's turn was the beginning of the end.

Maia actually had the first turn blindfolded, Sweet success.

but on the second time through the eyes were

open. That finished it off.

I love how happy the girls are in this one.

Dogpile! I love how Casey (in the orange) is

going full-force.

Maia and Lily
Confetti poppers--honestly, really fun.

Maia's request of a doll cake.

I tried, but she was really happy with it. So I'm satisfied.

***

This past weekend also marked the 10th anniversary (the 23rd) of Cheryl Miller's death. That same day the son of dear friends (mine and the Millers) was married out in Los Angeles. Overall, it was a very emotional weekend, but joy was the hallmark.

***

On a final note, I do not have any pictures from Eowyn's fourth birhtday on July 16. We had just moved into the house 3 days prior and my camera wasn't working. But we did celebrate and had a very nice birthday.