Snowy Day

Alley threw a handful of snow above her head right before I snapped this picture.
Alley and Liam pretending they are in Narnia!
Dresden modeling her snowsuit, which was kindly passed on to us by a friend at church.

The kids wanted to go out and play in the snow this morning so we all bundled up and headed outside. We only stayed out about 15 minutes since Dresden's little hands started getting cold. She did have fun picking up snow, though!

Last Friday we were visiting with family at my grandparent's house and it was absolutely beautiful weather and a week later, we are playing in 4 inches of snow! It was a little warmer today (around 29) and some of the snow is beginning to melt and the roads are pretty much clear. I think we have seen the last of our 60 degree weather, at least for a few months!

Big Burton Thanksgiving 2006

My cousin Lisa and Aunt Janie doing clean-up after the big meal!
Various Burton relatives playing football in Uncle Roger's yard.
Michael, Liam and Dresden playing softball in the background. Various Burton vehicles in the foreground!
Uncle Roger holding Steven. Unfortunately, my camera wouldn't work fast enough to get the next pose...Steven holding Uncle Roger!

This Thanksgiving was different from most past Thanksgivings in that my little family celebrated with my bigger extended family instead of with my parents and sisters, like most years. I can't even remember the last time I celebrated Thanksgiving in Kansas City. We missed being with our family in Bristol but also enjoyed the hours with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. There were 20 of us there and we had quite a feast. The table was decorated beautifully and Alley told me later that she thought the turkey was "exquisite", a word we were defining in school recently!

The temperature was in the 70s and my grandma said it was supposed to be the warmest Thanksgiving in Kansas City ever. The gorgeous fall day drove many of us outside. My uncle Ross and Aunt Jane took all three of my kids to the park a few blocks up the street and then several tossed a football in the yard. Liam tried hitting a ball with a bat, a skill he is going to have to work on quite a bit more! Some of us just visited on the front porch and others in the house on the couch. After a cup of coffee and a few pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, Michael and the kids and I headed up to see my Grandma Harrison for a couple of hours. It was a fun day, but as usual, my favorite part was what we did before we left home this morning and that was sharing our Thanksgiving lists with the rest of our family (my parents and sisters and their families) via speakerphone. In the past when we some of us couldn't be there, we sent our lists through email and let someone else read them but with digital phones giving us unlimited long distance, we decided to try calling and it was great. It was a special time of remembering and being thankful together. As always, many things were listed on others lists that I hadn't thought of but for which I am also thankful. I was reminded once again of how truly blessed we are to have a family who takes the time to be truly thankful for as many of the blessings from God that we can conciously think of. I really think Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because of that hour and a half or so that it takes us to share our lists and because our attention is on God and on what HE has done for us, spiritually, physically, financially, emotionally, relationally, and even the smallest things in our lives that He has given us, and on being thankful for each other. I hope your Thanksgiving was as special as ours!

Our 9th Anniversary

The pond at our park.
The sun was starting to go down but this one is of Alley and Liam by the pond.
Alley feeding the ducks.
Dresden pointing at the ducks and below, Liam posing for the camera!
Today was our 9th wedding anniversary. The good news is that we were actually on the same continent, in the same country, state, city and house this year! The bad news is that we will not be able to go out to dinner to celebrate until early next week due to Michael's work schedule and Thanksgiving. And even though it did not much seem like an anniversary, it was still a good day. Alley and I made cranberry bread from a recipe on the back of one of their favorite children's books, "Cranberry Thanksgiving". It is becoming a tradition since we have made it for the last 3 or 4 Thanksgivings. It is very good! I also have the last tray of my second batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in the oven right now.

We had another unusually warm, beautiful November day today so after Dresden's nap, the kids and I headed over to a park nearby that we recently discovered. It has a pretty pond with ducks and a small island with a bridge leading to it and lots of picnic benches and a walking trail around the pond. It also has a nice playground and a gazebo and a few shelter houses. We took bread with us today and the kids fed the ducks. They also played on the playground and I walked on the trail a little. Then the sun started going down and it was getting cool so we headed home. It's too bad that it is almost winter and we will not be able to enjoy this park for awhile but we are looking forward to some picnics and walks when spring arrives again!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I have made the Taste of Home Pumpkin Chip cookie recipe a few times before and I was planning on making them again this year but I forgot that they called for quick oats and I didn't have any, so.....I went to the internet and found a recipe that didn't call for quick oats and didn't contain any ingredients that I did not already have on hand. I made them and they were really good. I am planning on making another batch tomorrow or Wednesday with the remainder of my can of pumpkin and the rest of the bag of chocolate chips. Yum!

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 c white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup chocolate chips or raisins (might be good with dried cranberries too)
1/2 to 1 cup walnuts or pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (I just used my stone cookie sheet and pizza stone without parchment paper). Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg, then vanilla, then pumpkin. Add flour mixture and stir until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips/nuts. Drop by TBSP and bake for 12-14 minutes. Bake til lightly browned at edges, but not dark. Cool on wire rack. 3 1/2 dozen.
Note: I had to bake mine a full 15 minutes. I'm not sure if this was due to my oven or maybe the stones, but the first tray I baked 12 minutes and then took them out and realized they needed more time so put them back in for a few more minutes and they weren't as good as the ones I left in for a full 15 minutes.

Stuff

In case you can't see the label very well in this picture, this is Musselmans Apple Cranberry Applesauce and it is very good! I should have taken this picture when the jar was still full (it would have looked much nicer) but when it was still full, I didn't know how good it was going to be! I am going to buy another jar and maybe 2 or 3 more jars while they still have them. I would recommend you get some and try it if you can find it. I got this at a grocery store here called Hen House but I would think it would be in most good grocery stores.

Speaking of food, I have been shopping at Aldi's since we moved into our apartment. It is a different shopping experience, as you have to come prepared to bag your own groceries, including bringing bags. You can buy bags there for 5 or 10 cents, depending on what kind you want or you can use the boxes they put out when they are empty. I started grabbing 3 or 4 plastic grocery sacks from my collection at home and sticking them in my purse but I usually also use some of their boxes for bulky but lightweight things. Anyway, you can't find absolutely everything you might need/want there but it is great for the basics, especially if you aren't picky about brand names. I have bought cheese, hamburger, chips, pretzel sticks, canned fruit, vegetables, beans and tomatoes, milk, eggs, sour cream, tortillas, bananas, tomatoes, cottage cheese, pasta and pasta sauce. This is just what is off the top of my head. I went last week and spent $61.07. I did have to go get a few things at another store, like Belgian waffle mix, and we have needed a few extra things since then but that's pretty good for feeding a family a 5. I know there aren't Aldi's everywhere but if you happen to live near one, I would recommend checking it out.

We have some unusually warm weather here in Kansas City the last few days. Yesterday it reached 82 degrees! We went to the zoo with my grandma. It was the perfect day to go to the zoo. It was not too hot, not too cold, and the zoo was not overly crowded but lots of animals were out. I also love seeing all the leaves on the ground and all the beautifully colored ones still on the trees. I just stepped outside to take the dog out and it feels like its going to be another gorgeous day. We'll have to figure out a good way to take advantage of it while we still can!

I also need to begin writing my annual Thanksgiving List. This is one of my favorite family traditions. My dad called last night to see if we had a speaker phone so we could read our lists over the phone to each other instead of sharing them in person like we usually get to do. We do, so that should work. I hate it that we can't be there in Bristol with my parents and sisters and their families but I am looking forward to sharing a Thanksgiving meal with alot of my extended family in Kansas City and a few travelling in from Arkansas.

Alley and Liam in Wittenberg, Germany

October 31

I absolutely love the fall. I love the changing of the leaves, the crisp, cool air, ("jacket weather" as my mom likes to call it), apple cider...you get the idea. I think October would be my favorite month of the year if it wasn't for all the Halloween decorations everywhere on everything! I guess it is at least good practice in "being in the world and not of it"!

Several years ago, a friend gave our family a little pamphlet about the origins of Halloween. I don't remember alot of the details of the history of the familiar traditions and I can't spout off facts about the pagan rituals of the past or present. Frankly, there are many things much more worthy of my study time than that but I think we have plenty of information already to make a decision that is pleasing to the Lord.

I actually started this post several days ago, when I was pondering again the dilemma that so many Christians face in trying to decide what is the "right" thing to do. Many of us participated in Halloween activities of various kinds during our own childhoods and it is hard to feel that we are "depriving" our kids of the fun but I think as Christians, we should realize that it is not about us or our kids and what we or they think is fun. It is about God and what honors Him.

I recently saw a link on a Christian website entitled "Why I Let My Kids Trick or Treat". My curiosity got the best of me and I read it, wanting to know the author's justification. I saw many inconsistencies and failings in her thought patterns but the bottom line is that she and her husband eventually let their kids go trick-or-treating because "they're only children!" Exactly. It's just a matter of remembering whose children. My children belong to God. He has given them to Michael and me to love and teach and discipline and even though we are far from being perfect parents, we are accountable to God for what we teach them, even about Halloween. We have not celebrated Halloween since we had kids and even though at times I see a flicker of curiosity in their eyes about what it would be like to dress up and go around getting candy from strangers, we use it as a time to teach them what it means to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever", at least in the flawed way we can. We have had many conversations with our kids about this subject and I think they have a decent, childlike "apologetic" about why we don't acknowledge this day of wickedness. I think they truly desire to please Him in this.

The other day in our school, we discussed these verses. "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord." Ephesians 5:6-10 We talked about how the decorations we see are dark and remind us of death but in Christ, we are children of light! ("they're only children!") We are told here not to be partakers with the sons of disobedience. We should be exceedingly grateful that because of Christ, that no longer describes us! We should not be looking for the line so we can step right up to it.

The other passage was Colossians 1:10-14. "...so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Lots of good vocabulary words in there! I asked them if it made sense for Christians, even for one day, to look like the people who have NOT been delivered from the domain of darkness. Does a rescued prisoner of war want to go back to the place where he was held for a party one day a year? When we are transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son, we should not look back.

You might say that these are compelling arguments to not celebrate Halloween in the traditional way that most worldly pagans do but you still might think it's harmless to dress up and have fun as long as your costumes are not witches and skeletons. Alot of churches have "alternatives " to Halloween but in my opinion, these "fall parties" are nothing more or less than a Halloween party minus a few ghosts and goblins. The real question comes back to "why do we WANT to try to figure out how we can participate in this day without displeasing God too much?" Another verse came to mind when I was thinking about this the other day. "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ..." (Phil. 3:20) An analogy came to mind right after this verse. Maybe it will be helpful for you, whether for yourself or for explaining your view more clearly to others.

When we lived in Germany, sometimes I would ask Michael to go to the bank on the post while he was there during the day. He would come home and I would ask if he had been able to take care of our banking business. Sometimes he would say no, he wasn't able to do it because the bank was closed for a German holiday. This frustrated me. It didn't seem right that we, American citizens, should be kept from taking care of banking business on an American military installation, because it was a holiday for the Germans (who worked at the bank). It was a minor irritation then, because I was residing in their country and had to deal with it at least to that extent. Now, it doesn't matter to me in the slightest what days are German holidays and what days aren't. Why? Because I am not a German citizen and I am no longer living in Germany. You can see where I am going with this. If we are citizens of heaven, residents of the kingdom of His beloved Son, should we care at all about a day that is set aside on the calendar for pagans to worship death and darkness? Yes, we are still living, temporarily, in this world and therefore must put up with it to the extent that we have to see the horrible decorations as we drive down our streets and shop in our grocery stores, but do you think our fellow citizens of heaven who have gone home ahead of us are thinking about what costume to wear tomorrow? I think it much more likely that most would be gathered around Martin Luther for another telling of the story of what he was doing on October 31, 1517.

Just to clarify, I think Reformation Day is something that should be celebrated but I think it should be done in such a way that it is clear that we are not imitating the world's activities. If I had it my way, churches would be open for families to come and eat soup or chili and fellowship, maybe sing songs and have someone remind us of why this day should be important to us as Christians. This serves the double purpose of being with our fellow citizens to mark an important day in church history as well as getting us out of the house and away from the doorbell! Just a thought.

A Few More Inside Pics

This picture shows the kitchen a little better. The door that is open to the left of the couch is the master bedroom door. The small door that is closed goes to the hot water heater/furnace.
This is obviously our dining/school area, complete with chalkboard. Eventually, I plan to have something on the blank wall above the chalkboard, but all that will come in time! The door you can see to the left is the door to the kids room and the door to the main bath is on the left, just past the bookcase on the left. The door to the computer room/office/misc room is right across from the bathroom. From where I stood to take this picture, the couch and kitchen are to my left, the fireplace is to my right, the TV cabinet is behind me.

I will try to take a few more of the kitchen and maybe a couple more shots of the living room for any who care to try to picture it more clearly. Maybe tomorrow.

A Few Pics of the Inside...

Here are two pics of the inside of our new apartment. The top picture was taken from the fireplace, looking toward the couch, with the kitchen behind. The washer and dryer are behind the folding doors in the kitchen.

The second picture is obviously the fireplace. There is a window on each side of the fireplace and if you were sitting on the couch, this is what you would see.

Our New Apartment from the Outside

The top picture is what we see from our balcony or right outside our front door and the bottom picture is the playground area, which is on the other side of our building. The tiny people near the blue slide are Alley, Michael, Dresden and Liam.

"Drezzy-Boo"

Dresden "doing school" with Alley and Liam.

Dresden holding her baby doll. Her hair was still wet from her bath in the above pic. The one from the side (below) is to show how long her hair is getting. There are several ringlet curls at the bottom right after a bath.

These pics are in response to my sister's request for recent pics, especially ones of Dresden, since kids her age change more in 3 months than older kids. I took these today.

Visiting Gaggi

Michael's "mom", called Gaggi by her grandchildren, has a camper by a lake near Bristol. We spent our last afternoon in Bristol out there visiting her before we headed to Kansas City. She took us out on her boat and Alley was brave enough to get in the big inner tube and be pulled around the lake and back to her dock!

Updates

These are a few pictures from our last couple of weeks in Bristol. Here is Mimi holding both Grant and Dresden and enjoying it very much!

This is Alley after she used markers as make-up one day while I was packing!

Here is Liam eating a burnt marshmallow..yum!

New Post Coming Soon!

Yes, it has been more than two months since I posted anything new on this blog but since I haven't gotten too many comments regarding my absence in the blogosphere, I must not have too many faithful readers!

Well, for the few who might actually see this, I plan to post some pictures from the last couple of months very soon, hopefully tomorrow.

This picture pretty much sums up the last 3 months of our life. (I packed the kids up in this box back in Bristol in June and I found them this week when I was unpacking in our new apartment in Kansas! Just kidding!!)

Seriously, I am hoping to not see a cardboard box for quite some time after I get completely settled here, which will hopefully be soon. I am trying to make progress each day at the same time that I continue with my regular duties of homeschooling and cooking and laundry and everything else a mom of three kids does every day! I will be posting pics of our new place as soon as it is picture worthy! For now, I am going to head to bed so I can hit the ground running in the morning. Goodnight!

Another Birthday

I realized today that I have been an official "blogger" for a little over a year now. It is hard to believe, but according to Blogger.com, I have written 75 posts since last August. There is something that is even harder to believe, though, and that is that my oldest child turned eight yesterday! It doesn't seem possible but according to the calendar, it is true.

Yesterday I remembered that on her fourth birthday, in Germany, she wore a button that my parents sent her as part of her gift that said, "I am 4 years old today". How can she have lived that long all over again already??! I also realized that when she doubles her current age, she will be 16!!!!!!! I am definitely not ready for that but maybe I will be when it happens next week....

Yesterday, the birthday girl, along with her little brother and sister, went to the Kansas City Zoo with me and my grandma. It was an overcast day so was much cooler than alot of the days we have had since we have been here and since we have passes, we just went and stayed a couple of hours and left when we were tired of walking. We fed larakeets, the kids rode ponies, and we watched a sea lion show, as well as looking at several animals in that part of the zoo. We then made a stop in the Zoo gift store and spent a long time trying to use the $3 Alley and Liam each had in the wisest way possible! We then had lunch at McDonalds on the way home. After Daddy got home from work, we ate dinner and then opened gifts. She got alot of stuff! She got drawing supplies, clothes, doll stuff and a couple of books. We finished up the day with cake and ice cream. I think she would agree that it was a special day all around.

As a bonus, we had lunch with my uncle Roger and Aunt Janie and my two cousins, Steven and Kent, on Sunday and then went to a park here in Kansas City that has a "spray park" which is basically different fountains coming up out of the ground that kids can run around and through. They had alot of fun doing that. And today, I took Alley and Liam to Penguin Park up here near my grandma's house which is a park that has a slide inside of a huge penguin as well as lots of other cool things to do. I went there as a kid and it was a little strange to be the parent this time, sitting on the bench watching MY eight and five year olds running around! Another reminder of how fast time goes by!

I am hoping to be able to post some pictures of some of these fun activities soon...stay tuned!

Adjustments

The kids and I arrived in Kansas City on Liam's 5th birthday, July 27th. That means we have been here almost two weeks. We already have library cards and a new bank account! We are enjoying getting to know people at the church we are attending and I am trying to learn my way around and get adjusted to all the new things around me. We are glad to be reunited with Michael, once again, and pray there will be no more causes for separation in the future!

My parents and my sister, Heidi, and my nephew Grant came to KC with us and were here visiting for several days. They are all back in Bristol now and so we are getting into a more "normal" routine, although that is a relative term since we are temporarily staying with my grandma while we figure out where in the city we want to live and find a place. So, even though we are here now, as a family, we are only partway through with the moving itself.

Please pray for wisdom in several areas and that God would provide just the right home for us in just the right location for all the places we want and need to go. Also pray for my mom and dad as they prepare their house to put on the market in Bristol so they can join us here soon.

Alley will be eight years old next Monday (I can hardly believe it!) and so we are trying to figure out what to do to celebrate. There are many things to choose from here but she did mention the zoo and we haven't been there yet since the weather has been unbearably hot. Thanks to my grandma, we have a family pass to the Kansas City Zoo so that might be the best idea! Maybe I can post a picture or two!

Home Sweet Home

Well, a chapter in my life is over. I gave the keys to the trailer to the new owner this afternoon. It's a strange feeling. For the most part, it feels good. I have been wanting this day to come for awhile now, so I can get to KC and be with Michael and start the next chapter in our life. And the trailer was quickly becoming much too small for our growing family and not having the responsibility of it anymore frees us up to find something that better meets our needs and also will make it easier to buy a house when the time is right.

But nevertheless, it was strange to be cleaning it for the last time these last two days. I thought about some of the fun times we have had there while I was on my knees scrubbing the disgusting floor that was hiding under the washer and dryer until a few days ago and again when I was vacuuming the empty bedrooms and scrubbing the tubs and even mowing the grass today. When we moved in there, Alley was not quite a year old so she took her first steps there, I found out I was expecting Liam there, Alley had her second birthday (a hot dog cookout) in the yard, we brought Dresden home from the hospital to there, we've had dinners with friends and family, lots of laughter and many good conversations. If you've never seen it, it is nothing fancy, just a very basic place to live, sleep, eat, and play....but it has been a special place, just what we needed for a long time. I pray that it will continue to be a blessing to the lady who will call it home now.

My dad just walked by as I was writing this post and teasingly called me "homeless". I guess that is technically true since I just moved out of one home and don't yet know exactly where I will be calling "home" next but I do know that as long as I have family, I will never be "homeless". I am thankful for that and I pray that wherever I end up, my home will be a place where many will feel at home.

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous is a great word and one that I have been using lots lately. I have been packing my entire house into cardboard boxes in preparation for our move to Kansas City, Missouri and it seems I write "Misc" on more boxes than I should! I really do try to be precise in what I write on the boxes that I pack to make my sorting and unloading and unpacking a little easier but when a box contains plastic leftover bowls, wooden spoons, a pitcher, a toaster, dishrags, potholders and a few other things, it saves time to just write Kitchen Misc!

And now for a "Misc" thought: Cell phones are designed to make our lives more convenient by making it easier for us to call and be called, any time, anywhere. But its the "be called" part that is sometimes "over-convenient" making it so that we get a phone call when we really would rather not. So, we turn them off or don't answer them. I understand this and occasionally turn my phone off, usually in church, the library, or the movie theater but it can also be frustrating when you are the one trying to call someone else! I went outside a little while ago to push Dresden on the swing. I decided I would use the time to call a friend that I had been meaning to call all week so I tried and got her voice mail. Then, I decided to call another friend who I haven't talked to in awhile and also got her voice mail. Then I tried to call one of my uncles to see if he would be available to help unload the moving truck when it arrives in KC and you guessed it, voice mail again. Since more and more people are using cell phones exclusively, there are no other numbers to try to reach these people. I wouldn't want to bother them in the middle of work, a nap, a movie, or something else equally or even more important but I know from experience that it is too easy to turn it off and forget to turn it back on again! I got in the habit of leaving my phone on 24/7 when Michael was in Iraq so he could reach me wherever I was at any time. I did turn it on silent when I was in church but even then it was close enough to me that I would feel it vibrate if it rang. Also, with kids who are old enough to not be with me every minute, I rest easier knowing that whoever they are with can reach me if they need to. That is why I have a cell phone ... so I can call and be called!

"Misc" Moving info: The sale of the trailer should be completely finalized early this week and the moving truck is scheduled to arrive on Thursday. It will be dropped off and we will have the weekend to load it. (www.upack.com) I have the majority of my packing done but still have to pack my bedroom and a few "misc" things left in each room. By this time next week, all I should have left to do is clean. The moving truck will arrive in KC by Friday, July 21 and then Michael is in charge of unloading it (with help) into my grandfather's basement garage to be stored for a month or so while we find a place to live. We will be heading to KC on July 26, arriving there on July 27 which is also Liam's 5th birthday. We will be staying with my grandmother for about a month and looking for a place to live while we also begin to make a new life there. We are very excited to finally have a moving date and to be with Michael again, again.

Keep us all in prayer...moving (especially 800 miles away) is a huge ordeal and I am not even half way done yet! Also pray that God will lead us to the perfect place to live once we get there. He knows our needs even better than we do.

The Tray-yer

The "tray-er", as Liam used to call it!

Here are a few shots of our "Home Sweet Home" for the last seven years, or at least the parts of those seven years that we were in Bristol. It has been on the market, For Sale By Owner, for about 4 months and we have been showing it fairly regularly, especially this week. I showed it three out of the four days so far this week and this afternoon, one looker came back and became a buyer. She gave me a deposit while she waits on some money to pay for it in full. Lord willing, we will move out, and she will move in, around mid July. This makes our move to Kansas City a little closer, something Michael is especially grateful for as he is getting a little weary of living without his family, and, of course, we miss him terribly as well. We may still be here for a few weeks after the closing of the sale so that we can save some money without a housing expense to be better prepared to find something new in KC. Many details to keep in prayer. When we bought this trailer in 1999 we had one baby who was almost a year old. We thought it would be a good stepping stone to something bigger and better in the future, and it has been. I don't think we thought we would own it as long as we have or that we would have three kids before we moved out, but it has been a blessing, not only to us but to others as well. Some college students we knew rented it for a year and my sister and her friend rented it the next year and my (future, at the time) brother-in-law Jeph lived here for most of the next year while we were in Germany. It is time to move on but we have many happy memories here, and because of that, the "tray-yer" will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day but we were once again separated from Michael. He is in Kansas City, working and waiting for us to join him. We are here, still trying to sell the trailer so we can move and be together, all in one place at the same time!

I found this picture in my computer today. It was taken about 3 years ago, while we were in Germany but it looked like a good picture to post on a Father's Day post. :)

Yesterday, we had lunch with Heidi and Jeph and Grant because my dad (and mom) was in Atlanta with Jana, Kane and Mara Kate for the weekend. We had a yummy, cheesy lunch and then Heidi and I made an award -winning apple pie. (The recipe has won awards, not our actual pie, but it was pretty good!) After that, we looked through a big box of Heidi's old photos, reminiscing about the babyhood days of my two oldest kids. It was fun. We talked to Michael on the phone and we saw my dad after they got home from Atlanta. It wasn't fun to have Michael so far away again but it was a good day with family.

Mississippi...It's Like Coming Home

Heidi and I (and Dresden and Grant) recently went to Mississippi for my friend Jamie's wedding and the sign at the state line welcoming us to Mississippi said " Mississippi...It's like coming home." That is very appropriate for us because we really do feel that way. Mississippi, and especially Brookhaven, will always have a special place in all of our hearts since we lived there for several years and we have many good friends and memories there. This visit was no exception. We had a great time seeing the familiar faces of many dear friends and we made some more memories. I spent alot of my time involved in activities surrounding Jamie's wedding, like eating. I was invited to two dinners, a lunch, and a breakfast during the two days I was there and that does not include the actual wedding! Heidi and I ate lunch with three good friends on Friday and another on Saturday. We really enjoyed catching up and the food was good too! We also stayed with another family and we were able to visit with them in the mornings and evening before and after our other activities. It was a short visit but very sweet.
Me and Mrs. Grosshans (Jamie) at her wedding reception.
And yes, that is a spot of food on the dress I borrowed from Jana!

We stopped in Atlanta on our way to Brookhaven to see Jana and Kane and Mara Kate (and to go to IKEA, of course!). These are the three babies in the backseat on our shopping trip.

We were able to meet up with Haley, who we started babysitting about fifteen years ago, when she was three. She was getting ready for her high school graduation that night and we had a gift to deliver to her from my mom and dad. I can't believe how grown up she is!

I have no idea why these pictures posted in this order, with the Atlanta pic stuck in the middle, and I am too tired and too confused by blogspot to attempt to figure it out! It was a fun trip and I hope we can do it again before too many months or years pass! Oh, we also got the wonderful privilege of going to Janie's Pastry, a famous little store in downtown Brookhaven, for some delicious iced cookies! There's nothing like 'em!

Piano Recital

The ensemble

Alley and Benjamin

Alley has been taking piano lessons from a young man in our church since September and she has learned alot. Last night was her first piano recital. She played two songs, accompanied by her teacher, Benjamin Dawson, and she was part of an ensemble made up of all the students and the teacher, playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. We were also treated to two pieces played by Bethany Dawson, Benjamin's younger sister, and two pieces by Benjamin which he composed himself. Everyone did a great job and then we enjoyed some refreshments and fellowship.

Since Michael is in Kansas City and Jana and Kane are in Atlanta, we called them on our cell phones and let them all hear Alley's songs. I also took a few pictures and videotaped Alley's part. The benefits of technology!

Barbeque

We had a very busy weekend last weekend. It was sad and happy, as many times in life are. On Saturday, we attended the visitation/graveside service of a man in our church who had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away earlier in the week. Not long after we got back from that, my sister Jana and her husband, Kane and little girl (and my only niece), Mara Kate, arrived from Atlanta. Saturday evening, mom fixed Cream Taco for Kane's birthday meal, a few days late. (He's birthday buddies with Dresden.) We had a yummy made-from-scratch cake and enjoyed each other's company. Jana and Kane and MK stayed with me and the kids this time and that was fun because we had some extra visting time around the times when we were all together. Sunday morning was church and then we all attended the memorial service for Jeff Cumbo at 4pm followed by a covered dish meal at the church.

Monday evening was the birthday party cookout (see next post) and we had a good time celebrating this first year of having Dresden and Grant in our family. Several dear friends came and watched the two babies destroy two perfectly good cakes!

On Tuesday, we relaxed and visited more and then we went out to dinner at Ridgewood Barbeque at Kane's request. It is a family owned BBQ place on the other side of town and then out a little farther. This picture is of Dresden and Grant watching the rest of us eat! (I think they are both looking older, even since their birthdays!)

Birthdays

Some of the presents and some of the food at Dresden and Grant's birthday party cookout.
Grant enjoying his first birthday cake!
Dresden was very "feminine" about the way she tasted her cake. She carefully pushed down each icing scallop for several inches around her cake. She also had a little help from her older sister and brother in figuring out what to do!
This picture was actually taken earlier in the day before the party but thanks to this unpredictable blogging program, it ended up in the middle of the party pictures. As you can see, Dresden likes to swing!
This is Mara Kate all bundled up in her stroller (and a little shawl that belonged to me when I was a baby) during the chilly cookout.
Dresden trying out a kazoo while I opened her gifts. I think by next year she will understand the point of the presents and the cake!

Bubbles

A couple of weeks ago, on a warm, late April day, I went outside with the kids to blow bubbles. I blew and they chased and popped. Dresden thought it was alot of fun and tried to do it herself!

These are my kids "flying" after the bubbles! They both thought this picture was quite funny since they have been wishing lately that they could actually fly!

Brief Update

I know I have not posted anything for quite awhile so I thought I would post a brief update at least.

My parents are out of town and have been for more than a week now. The kids and I have been staying at their house taking care of things and that means occasional trips over to our house to grab something we forgot or check the mail, etc. I also showed the trailer to one lady who I hope is able to purchase it. She is a single mom with 3 kids and she is going to start a new job less than 2 miles from our house. It would be perfect for her and I would be glad to get it sold.

Michael got a promotion and a raise this week at his new job in Kansas City. He has only worked there since mid March and this week he was offered the shift commander position which is actually two steps up from where he started less than 6 weeks ago. He is now "in charge" of the midnight to 8am shift and I think he will do a good job. The other good thing about this is that he will be able to attend church on Sunday mornings now since he is off on Friday and Saturday nights. This was an answer to prayer since he had been having to work on Sunday since he got to KC. He had asked his boss about it but this new position took care of it. We are still thinking and praying about our options as far as housing there goes. We can make more definite decisions when the trailer sells.

I am planning a trip to Brookhaven, Mississippi next month for my friend Jamie's wedding. I am glad I get to be there for her on this special day and I am glad for a chance to go back to Brookhaven. It is a very special place for me and my whole family since we spent so many years there. I also had my graduation ceremony there with Jamie 10 years ago so going back is kinda like a high school reunion, although it is more than just my old friends I am anxious to see. I am hoping to see some of the kids that I babysat more than 10 years ago as well as old Sunday School teachers and others. Heidi is going too (and Dresden and Grant) and I think it will be a fun trip.

Last night the kids and I stayed at Heidi's because Jeph was out of town at a conference and we got to bed rather late, partly due to the fact that Heidi's best friend, Lianne, called to tell Heidi that her dad, who had been suffering from cancer for a few months, had passed away. It took us awhile to get to sleep after that news since it seemed so hard to believe because he is still a young man and he has a few young children still at home, as well as some who are already grown. Heidi was trying to figure out the best way to get from here to there to be with Lianne this weekend. It was challenging with Jeph out of town but after a few hours of internet looking, several phone calls and prayers for wisdom, a plan was made that seemed to make the most sense under the circumstances. Please keep that whole family in your prayers.

Due to my late night and the fact that I have much to do tomorrow, I am heading to bed very soon. I will try to post again soon with pictures! Good night!

The Long Night

Lovely picture, I know. But it perfectly illustrates the kind of night I had Tuesday night.

First of all, almost two weeks ago, Liam came down with a slight fever. The next day he had a cough. The rest of us tried very hard to avoid getting sick and we were praying that he would get over it quickly because Alley had invited her friend from church to come and spend the night on Friday night. After five days, we thought we had missed it and were looking forward to the sleepover but then Alley started to feel bad. By Friday mid-day she had a fever of almost 101. Sadly, we had to cancel the slumber party. Dresden still held out but by Monday afternoon, I could hear congestion in her nose and throat. By this time, Alley had a sore throat and swollen tonsils.

All day Tuesday, Dresden had a fever and was very clingy to me. Tuesday night, we stayed with Mimi and Grandpa so I could sleep with Dresden in the recliner to try to keep her more upright. She and I settled in the chair but sleep was not on her agenda. Dresden started crying and the only position that calmed her was for me to STAND UP and hold her against me. If I sat down in the recliner, she woke up and screamed. She would not eat, she did not want to be rocked. I would walk to the kitchen, look at the stove clock while holding her, lean my shoulder and head against the wall until I thought she was in a fairly deep sleep, then I would slowly make my way back to the recliner and sit down as carefully as possible. I would try to lay my head down and then she would wake up screaming and holding her ears and arching her back. I would get up and walk to the kitchen again, look at the clock again and 10 minutes would have passed since my last look. Over 4 hours passed this way and then she finally, from pure exhaustion, fell asleep in my arms and I was able to get 2 hours of sleep.

As soon as the doctor's office opened, I called to get an appointment. I was guessing it was an ear infection since she had been holding her ears so much. My usual doctor was not there so we saw a new doctor and he said her ears and throat looked good and prescribed a stronger cough/congestion medicine. She did much better last night and we both got some sleep.

Tuesday night was one of those nights that every mother has had for one reason or another. Even though I was too exhausted to do much deep thinking while I was sleep-walking from the kitchen to the chair and back, since then I have realized that it is nights like that that sum up what motherhood is all about. Mothers have to be willing and ready to do whatever it takes at any given moment to meet her child's needs. I am not saying it was an easy night. I'm not saying that mothers respond cheerfully to sacrifice every time it is required. I got impatient and frustrated, but throgh it all, I knew she needed me and no one else could fill that spot because I am her mother.

All three kids are on the mend now, thanks to prayer, rest, and mangosteen juice! Dresden is still congested but we actually slept last night, and in a horizontal position, too!