tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54005355206909294392024-02-06T21:06:08.478-08:00Zaugg ChroniclesMouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-57419875501730965562023-12-12T21:51:00.000-08:002023-12-13T09:52:07.168-08:002023 Christmas Family Update<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Satisfy;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">2023</span></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Satisfy;"><b><i style="color: black; font-size: large;">Zaugg Christmas Letter</i></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Satisfy;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-v6URcyUGArS9R9wMF9IUinWxlhrAZ9seFUk10QQYYEKKokQJlnEjf_LO5STf6DlKk2_5eD4Sp7OmCeU8QvFbVxIoOlCFIiIULG3wm7lKVTi-2xyazj3nYOZrNTBjpk5AM-2cdy6nQ7C6Nb7QtN1I_1AbMYSrVwv0yWXjiRMEcaStORIjMU8dxAyi-Q9l/s4885/zaugg-48.jpg" style="color: black; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3257" data-original-width="4885" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-v6URcyUGArS9R9wMF9IUinWxlhrAZ9seFUk10QQYYEKKokQJlnEjf_LO5STf6DlKk2_5eD4Sp7OmCeU8QvFbVxIoOlCFIiIULG3wm7lKVTi-2xyazj3nYOZrNTBjpk5AM-2cdy6nQ7C6Nb7QtN1I_1AbMYSrVwv0yWXjiRMEcaStORIjMU8dxAyi-Q9l/w640-h426/zaugg-48.jpg" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="640" /></a></i></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Greetings Friends and Family! </span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Handlee; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">The most important part of this letter is to proclaim the joy we have in Jesus! His birth, death, and resurrection give us the HOPE, FREEDOM, and COMFORT we need to navigate this tricky world we live in.</span></span></span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><span> </span><span> </span>Living in a part of the world where we can openly and freely worship and gather with believers is a privilege that we often take for granted. </span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Recently I felt judged by an arachnid. As I was walking from my kitchen to the living room; a too-large-for-my-liking spider dashed across my trajectory and stopped directly in front of me.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> <span> </span></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Mr. Spider then dramatically took a few more slow steps to show me that an embarrassingly sizeable dust bunny had attached to one of his hideous legs. He was having to drag it along and he was showing me that he was displeased with this burden. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Well, I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> Smooosh.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> Let that serve as a warning to all of you đ</span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Clearly being on the go- as most families of six are- the state of cleanliness of our home has suffered. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Speaking of being "on the go", tis the part of the letter where we launch into family updates. I will start with the kiddos. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Solomon sneakily grew up and became an adult in October. He is anti-Christmas letters that include him so I will stick to the basics again this year... he runs. See also last Christmas letter for the same information. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span> </span><span> </span>Maylen has joined her brother in high school and is just a few months away from becoming a licensed driver. She is enjoying a wide variety of high school activities: Cross Country, Musical, Mock Trial, Speech, Track, Band, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Both she and Solomon were able to participate in meaningful mission trips in the summer through youth group. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> <span> </span> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Solomon and Maylen joined their Metzger grandparents on an epic Spiritual Heritage Tour of Washington DC during their summer break. The quality time and memory-making were such a gift. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> <span> </span> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Bentley, age eleven, is Nick's right-hand man. He loves any project that involves work. Our other children really appreciate this about him! </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Bentley is currently obsessed with technic Legos. His summer highlights were endless days of fun at the pool, securing his first job mowing for his Grandpa Galen, and spending a week in NW Iowa at Nick's parents. Bentley's future plans range from farming to piloting aircraft.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Avah, age eight, keeps this house hopping. Avah's interests are all things baby. She is practically running a nursery in our basement with her large collection of baby dolls. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">She has added Barbies to her interests as well. Avah was disappointed that her Barbies did not have cars to drive. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> I showed her old school how to remedy this situation. I brought out my dressy flats and now the Barbies have cool corvettes to transport them from place to place. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">The downside is that now I can't find my shoes when I need them. I did not think that through.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span> </span><span> </span>A few weeks ago as I was snuggling her at bedtime, she confessed that she was sometimes embarrassed of me. </span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="color: black;">I did not see that coming. If you have seen her wild outfits and hair choices-- it would seem unlikely that my vanilla ways could make her uncomfortable! </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span> </span><span> </span>Apparently, my breaking into song when other children are around is causing Avah great distress. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;">This is coming from the girl who went into the local grocery store with me with three googly eyes adhered to her forehead. </span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"> I hope Avah someday raises a girl with as much character as she possesses! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span style="color: black;"> <span> </span> </span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="color: black;">I, Tricia-somewhere in my upper 40's, it's either 47 or 48, am still working remotely part-time as a Purchasing Analyst for </span></span></span></span><a href="https://alignproductionsystems.com/" style="color: black;" target="_blank">Align Production Systems</a><span><span><span><span style="color: black;"> based in Decatur, IL.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="color: black;"> Nick-either 48 or 49 (I know he is one year older than me) started a new job in April at </span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.dbmglobal.com/" style="color: black;" target="_blank">DBM Global</a>. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: black; display: inline; text-size-adjust: 100%;">This new job has him both traveling and working from home. It has been a great fit for him! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">At the beginning of March, our family traveled to Philadelphia for my nephew's wedding. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><b><i><span>Garrett and Micayla's wedding</span></i></b><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC_zyu7WmbKIG9dTleZutZliee7ZMb3ainZMG_2JaA0ED35_tfz7v51IU1GyfhGjFHYMEayrNwJ8FzhenLU1f4bpmqmhV0jYFcuLwcbQVnaO9yfC_TFXQmg9wRamKLj7YXlHdVlJmsSboJc8iOZ_b52PjGLV_WzymwN0X_98S6WUtb8u8kK2F87T3yU-P/s3600/garrettwedding2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span><img border="0" data-original-height="2571" data-original-width="3600" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC_zyu7WmbKIG9dTleZutZliee7ZMb3ainZMG_2JaA0ED35_tfz7v51IU1GyfhGjFHYMEayrNwJ8FzhenLU1f4bpmqmhV0jYFcuLwcbQVnaO9yfC_TFXQmg9wRamKLj7YXlHdVlJmsSboJc8iOZ_b52PjGLV_WzymwN0X_98S6WUtb8u8kK2F87T3yU-P/w640-h457/garrettwedding2.jpg" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="640" /></span></a><br /></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">We stayed in Philly for the week to take in the historical heritage. While in Philly, we took a whirlwind day trip to New York City. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> Avah's highlight was eating ice cream (which is her highlight in any state). Bentley's was getting to ride in a Tesla as an Uber. Maylen's was reading every single historical plaque and Solomon's was running in Central Park. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> In the Fall,<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; display: inline; text-size-adjust: 100%;"> after the Cross Country season ended in October, we jetted off to France for a bit. We called this our France Goodbye Tour. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; display: inline; text-size-adjust: 100%;">We had left so suddenly during the pandemic that we never had closure or proper goodbyes. This trip was so soothing to our hearts. It brought us so much joy to reconnect with our friends who became so dear to us in our two years that we lived there. We basked in the love our of friends and consumed baguettes and French cheese with reckless abandon.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; display: inline; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=17HhS1IxWWKiriW27_-AgWEyaiLcKMO7z" height="450" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=17HhS1IxWWKiriW27_-AgWEyaiLcKMO7z" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="600" /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><span> </span><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ZIzAjKCatb-59iiszIXfOKKGmexutva6" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ZIzAjKCatb-59iiszIXfOKKGmexutva6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #455154; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /></span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1XlwkpKcBAKaneeh7Rwf5T1R-TT_TZci7" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1XlwkpKcBAKaneeh7Rwf5T1R-TT_TZci7" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #455154; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; text-align: left;">We stayed most of the time in St. Galmier, the little village where we lived for two years. We then spent a few days in Paris and got to spend time with Rafael (our <img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1UwW3du-nS0KWTIsUQB_qd_7M_FG6-6MU" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1UwW3du-nS0KWTIsUQB_qd_7M_FG6-6MU" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #455154; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1sUyUeJpUxgCe3JJfBY6UeAGojyacEuNk" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1sUyUeJpUxgCe3JJfBY6UeAGojyacEuNk" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #455154; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1b49mdYqs5sXlJZVEHSl4bUHUAH9PnF69" height="379" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1b49mdYqs5sXlJZVEHSl4bUHUAH9PnF69" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #455154; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" width="506" /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySW01QoCU3v0C7Wu0ArJj9ojPkOf5jAkzSjPl2cQY5NwnmcZ2ufHBdyT5pY3IveRY416-J_qSTueX6DtJihA03oKyrTxkYJpqMTMlmzgDqNtq0HBDQz5jOwsiA7GkL-IgC03cJ0O_ERmJXdiCp3xYFToDHevRKZbQ1mmeESO1EGX3bbnyx6iM3QopamDH/s3065/bentleymonalisa.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span><img border="0" data-original-height="3065" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySW01QoCU3v0C7Wu0ArJj9ojPkOf5jAkzSjPl2cQY5NwnmcZ2ufHBdyT5pY3IveRY416-J_qSTueX6DtJihA03oKyrTxkYJpqMTMlmzgDqNtq0HBDQz5jOwsiA7GkL-IgC03cJ0O_ERmJXdiCp3xYFToDHevRKZbQ1mmeESO1EGX3bbnyx6iM3QopamDH/s320/bentleymonalisa.JPG" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="316" /></span></a><br /></span></span></span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Bentley and his friend Mona</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgZvnwQZAqGO6D6nn1BNbCt1cYt-QntS7e89L06ey_reG3bn5dhv9f1FOd8PXFzH-Nke9NTqNRPaRmtw1sMIwuJIcGWaJB1TMa35CGX2UdN9REGEInIYXAfYpdvpyZNo0wAxrADwlPO_oGVGB6lyBk2pKOFci1WdeTW_wM7W44EsaQgmr0sVaqP_LKp4W/s3024/rafael%20paris.jpg" style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2336" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgZvnwQZAqGO6D6nn1BNbCt1cYt-QntS7e89L06ey_reG3bn5dhv9f1FOd8PXFzH-Nke9NTqNRPaRmtw1sMIwuJIcGWaJB1TMa35CGX2UdN9REGEInIYXAfYpdvpyZNo0wAxrADwlPO_oGVGB6lyBk2pKOFci1WdeTW_wM7W44EsaQgmr0sVaqP_LKp4W/w494-h640/rafael%20paris.jpg" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="494" /></span></a></div><div><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><b style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><span>Reunited with Rafael!</span><br /></span></b><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgZvnwQZAqGO6D6nn1BNbCt1cYt-QntS7e89L06ey_reG3bn5dhv9f1FOd8PXFzH-Nke9NTqNRPaRmtw1sMIwuJIcGWaJB1TMa35CGX2UdN9REGEInIYXAfYpdvpyZNo0wAxrADwlPO_oGVGB6lyBk2pKOFci1WdeTW_wM7W44EsaQgmr0sVaqP_LKp4W/s3024/rafael%20paris.jpg" style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><br /></span></a></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Being with our close friends in France really highlighted to our hearts how much God had taken care of us in those two years. We all reconnected with everyone so easily and we cherish our time spent with them. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">W</span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">e give glory to God for how he has been faithful through the ups and downs of 2023. We are so grateful for the time spent together before our eldest leaves for college in August (TBD).</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">The birth of Jesus culminated in the world seeing God unwrap His plan of salvation. The beautiful simplicity of this gift is so perfectly wrapped in this excerpt of scripture...<br /></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">â</span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">That if you confess with your mouth, âJesus is Lord,â and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. â Romans 10:9-10</span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Love~ </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span class="hgKElc" style="background-color: white; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span class="hgKElc" style="background-color: white; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;">The Zaugg Family</span></span></span></span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Handlee;"><br /></span></span></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p></blockquote></div></div>Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-45188192830514639572022-12-23T14:57:00.004-08:002022-12-24T09:56:40.729-08:00Obligatory Christmas Letter for Historical Posterity<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Greetings Friends and Family, </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-47a040d5-7fff-7388-6931-c1d962a7deb4"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christmas is magical! Oh, there is the snow, the family time, the cookie making, the cooking eating, all the things. Those things make this time of year so special and full of memory-making. The magic is the peace that comes from really resting in the salvation that the Christ-Child gave us.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> With the onslaught of so much tragedy and brokenness, knowing that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in Heaven where all sorrows will cease for eternity is just immensely peace-giving. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have been running to your mailbox every day, panicking that you have not received the Zaugg Christmas photo and letter⌠keep despairing. This is it. Getting a family photo and doing the mail thing will wait for another year! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> But I do so love getting your letters and photos! In fact, itâs the main reason I sometimes send them out, I donât want to be kicked off your list for being a bad reciprocator! It is really fun to show our children the photos of people that are from all different stages of both Nick's and my life. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not much news to share about our family! Solomon is a junior, Maylen is an eighth grader, Bentley is in 3rd grade and Avah is in first grade. We are enjoying the sweet phase of life where we are all together, as we know the nest will be changing in the coming years. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In May, our French exchange student Rafael graduated and eight of his family members came to experience small-town Iowa at its finest at graduation. They kept remarking, âIt is just like the movies!â Rudely, Rafael left with his family to return to France. He did not stay away for long. He came back in August to visit :)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My (Triciaâs) side of the family had several big life changes this year! Our niece Lauren and her husband Elliot welcomed Baby Bridge into their family in May. He is the start of the next generation of the Galen Metzger clan. Niece Paige married Colten in August and we are so happy that they are living just a few minutes away! Nephew Garrett got engaged to Micayla--their wedding will be in Delaware in March. With my family hitting this stage of my siblingâs children in their 20s, there are constant changes and the family keeps growing and growing!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the Zaugg side, our niece Jordyn moved to Colorado and has a great job as a nurse. On Labor Day weekend, the Zaugg family gathered together at a super fun and unique Airbnb to celebrate Norm and Pollyâs 50th Wedding Anniversary. Our destination celebration was in Monmouth, IL. Yes, we realize most people don't "vacation" in Monmouth, Il, but it was delightful!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We enjoyed a week at Maranatha Bible Camp per our usual tradition. All six of us get to grow in the truths of scripture while enjoying nature and family time. Solomon had the opportunity to go on his first mission trip this summer through our church and would like to go again this summer</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nick is still with Tenneco aka Champion, previously called Federal Mogul. Nick works mostly from home. I took a job with Align Production Systems (based in Decatur, IL) in the Purchasing department and also work from home. We love small-town living we are so thankful for our church, community, and family that surround us here. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We know that Christmas time is not always so merry, and so it seems so callous to just throw out âMERRY CHRISTMASâ, so instead, we pray that you will be filled with His Peace in each circumstance throughout the holidays and in the New Year. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Much Love,</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nick, Tricia, Solomon, Maylen, Bentley, and Avah</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFY6iN80fCpIVkD6pqpwP4KUM1ae1uJRglY7iAo2kGRe49R2p_zDSCrKAxhh_mPoM_2OCFETKEYjpHIVS5irbrmI_NIRbv1Q7sUA02WGsLgWhOrUEMZbjUc3i0GtV19GGpnc48DCXPmJqY4D_ZxCPDoakVqfkUFdZcxYlRJAuQFSijQuGNEK8B03Ujw/s1958/paige%20wedding3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1958" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFY6iN80fCpIVkD6pqpwP4KUM1ae1uJRglY7iAo2kGRe49R2p_zDSCrKAxhh_mPoM_2OCFETKEYjpHIVS5irbrmI_NIRbv1Q7sUA02WGsLgWhOrUEMZbjUc3i0GtV19GGpnc48DCXPmJqY4D_ZxCPDoakVqfkUFdZcxYlRJAuQFSijQuGNEK8B03Ujw/w640-h254/paige%20wedding3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgDRUlb82r0shOGcm-PSHv_7JkaZsLymAazFF7YikVwKPzskTZjys8zTMw0koDXzHxjOalWz7O23wR1TFdWPQXbaqLBVB8SjwC0a6jrak_itghVYfPEUE2jqlMH4zLoTh2aASpVyG1Ze8KCfuZC3jtF_Eb893sYp2KUlsT68NLn0OybOAt3YNFLWdmA/s830/IMG_0926%20anniversary.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="830" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgDRUlb82r0shOGcm-PSHv_7JkaZsLymAazFF7YikVwKPzskTZjys8zTMw0koDXzHxjOalWz7O23wR1TFdWPQXbaqLBVB8SjwC0a6jrak_itghVYfPEUE2jqlMH4zLoTh2aASpVyG1Ze8KCfuZC3jtF_Eb893sYp2KUlsT68NLn0OybOAt3YNFLWdmA/w640-h640/IMG_0926%20anniversary.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0bq9DRvX8pjQjLnEle0MxgRFqIwzu6yov-Be90ZxVa3KB2ANkoNMcl5bMK_k2f3oRzSdHoHJeU4japHCqdsGO66W9lqv4BwcWCWf6mvdrl7SOq0tU7jcUP0wd_8v_dL6ZJwxSpxe5aT8BXpnzo1dm76GEGeAjJ0IEX-kilm1FTSmufkvDp-7vEAv2w/s4032/Paiges%20wedding.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0bq9DRvX8pjQjLnEle0MxgRFqIwzu6yov-Be90ZxVa3KB2ANkoNMcl5bMK_k2f3oRzSdHoHJeU4japHCqdsGO66W9lqv4BwcWCWf6mvdrl7SOq0tU7jcUP0wd_8v_dL6ZJwxSpxe5aT8BXpnzo1dm76GEGeAjJ0IEX-kilm1FTSmufkvDp-7vEAv2w/w640-h480/Paiges%20wedding.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTqUfOtl4PNXy4mx3vKe4pZxyI295y8Fxct9Ju7rQMTptWPgEhP7NZL6O2xePiRhU_kYgw0Ewft8LUpMVduM477owlbp10jbSNzHD01Kbmxlu7rJlE-WcJOrZAGjcUz0UHbrpTSayXIUw23uENeqspX9RmL-1tTSdn15ijLmr0rqU64XwQN6XzMW_Zg/s904/RAfael%20grad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="904" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTqUfOtl4PNXy4mx3vKe4pZxyI295y8Fxct9Ju7rQMTptWPgEhP7NZL6O2xePiRhU_kYgw0Ewft8LUpMVduM477owlbp10jbSNzHD01Kbmxlu7rJlE-WcJOrZAGjcUz0UHbrpTSayXIUw23uENeqspX9RmL-1tTSdn15ijLmr0rqU64XwQN6XzMW_Zg/w640-h640/RAfael%20grad.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-35979428732001986742021-12-25T06:42:00.001-08:002021-12-25T06:42:29.893-08:00 Christmas Letter 2021<p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e453761e-7fff-9aa4-7505-22d372526253" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Greetings from the Zauggs (2021)</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If you are looking at our photo and have a sneaking suspicion that there is something different, you are not wrong. Aside from our children growing at alarming rates and Nick and I succumbing to the aging process, we indeed have an extra teen in our home. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rafael is our exchange student from France. We picked his profile from the sending organization based on his interests and he has been such a joy in our family. Although he is French, we sometimes refer to him as âSwitzerlandâ since he is the only child in our home not engaged in warfare with the others. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rafael is nearly eighteen and will be in our home for his whole senior year. He fully enjoyed participating in American football! He is playing basketball right now and is looking forward to soccer in the spring. He came from a very quiet home with one sibling and docile parents. We are glad to give Rafael the full American experience!</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next up is Solomon age sixteen (Soph). He dislikes any photographs or paragraphs written about him. He runs. (He has approved this uninformative description of himself)</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maylen is thirteen (7th grader). She is busy trying all the things before she picks her favorites. She participated in cross country and basketball first semester. Mock trial was a great fit for her as she has the genetics for zealous debate. Maylen plays percussion, sings in choir and will run track in the spring. Although she enjoys extracurricular activities, curling up with a book is her true passion.</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bentley is nine (2nd grader). He enjoys working along with Nick in any sort of fixing up around the house. He has recently gotten good at ping pong and is always looking for someone to play! He has been improving his piano skills. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Avah is six and is in Kindergarten! She has a creative fashion sense. This week she read her first little book and she is over the moon! Avah shows her love by drawing pictures and making little cards for her loved ones. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nick is still at Tenneco (formerly Federal Mogul) and works mostly out of his home office. He travels back to France occasionally for work and is glad to connect with our friends there. It is crazy that in March, it will mark two years since we left France. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This fall, now that all the kiddos were in schooI, I, (Tricia) had a billion plans after 16 years of having little ones at home with me. Vigorous organization and such were sure to ensue. Two weeks after school started, I had two discs in my neck herniate, with no warning whatsoever. I am so thankful that I was able to heal without surgery! I was quite out of commission for a few weeks and the family is happy to have me back in full swing doing my part to keep this family of seven going!</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are so grateful for our blessings. Most of all, Christmas is a wonderful time of reflecting on the ultimate gift of knowing that Christ was born to pay our debt of sin. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessings from our family~ Nick Tricia Rafael Solomon Maylen Bentley Avah</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSewphANz6XbENKRggDB_BjLo69jF3XjPQ-Di4NbwqcprnDN_CL0LMkLub814XVP-zyTNrDM3MS4fsfmEOxcF21cQM7AySgpv__sq68L3PoSPWP_7n4L4C_Js8qbBemC39NmcmHzYq22Suu8I0XlZD0eiZa3doPpNAmsdp7Fy-AULK03_cstNroJP1Dw=s2592" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSewphANz6XbENKRggDB_BjLo69jF3XjPQ-Di4NbwqcprnDN_CL0LMkLub814XVP-zyTNrDM3MS4fsfmEOxcF21cQM7AySgpv__sq68L3PoSPWP_7n4L4C_Js8qbBemC39NmcmHzYq22Suu8I0XlZD0eiZa3doPpNAmsdp7Fy-AULK03_cstNroJP1Dw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-86940313251507453642020-08-09T18:59:00.000-07:002020-08-09T18:59:12.068-07:00That Pandemic...Leaving France<p> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Decades from now, we will all be telling our stories about the twists and turns that the year 2020 brought to each of us. The word Covid-19 came quickly into our vocabulary and succinctly turned our lives upside down. When the news showed the virus devastating China, I donât think many of us envisioned that it would creep on over to our side of the world. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our family was living in France for a work assignment at the time. We had just passed our two year mark and we were on the home stretch. Our plan was to be moving back to Iowa at the end of June. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our family had conflicting emotions about this upcoming transition. We were so excited to get back to our hometown to share life with our friends and family in Iowa, but we dreaded the finality of saying goodbye to our French friends. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In two short years, we stumbled upon friendships that we will cherish for a lifetime. Living in rural France and travelling around Europe had been a rich cultural (and stretching) experience for our family and we were immensely grateful for the opportunity. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our last family trip was to Barcelona, Spain on Feb 22 during the kidâs school break. Several people from the USA messaged me while in Barcelona asking if the Coronavirus was affecting our trip. I remember thinking it was kind of strange that people were enquiring. Everything was completely normal. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No mention of social-distancing, face masks or anything. Italy had been hit hard, but the rest of Europe was business as usual. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exploring Barcelona was pretty fantastic for almost everyone. We rented a docked boat to sleep in. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That was an experience all in itself, one that I will likely not repeat. In spite of all the wonderful history and sights, I was not loving Barcelona! I was coughing uncontrollably and my breathing felt labored. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, like many of you that experienced a nasty cold in February, I wonder now if that was Covid-19. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just a few weeks later on Thursday March 13, French President Macron announced that all schools and daycares would be closed for two weeks. I was stunned! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone I talked with seemed taken completely off guard. Keep in mind that I only had a small circle of English speaking friends that I could communicate with, since learning French did not come as easily as I had naively believed at one point. Learning a language through immersion is easy âtheyâ say. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Living in Lockdown</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday March 17 began a two-week confinement in France. It was jarring to our family. We understood the reason for confinement but the sudden restrictions of freedom was unsettling. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Police were patrolling the streets and fining people not adhering to the regulation. We were only allowed to leave our property for one hour a day within one kilometer of our home for reasons of exercise. Driving around just to âget out of the houseâ was not allowed. We were so thankful that we were in a house with a yard and not stuck in an apartment. We had to print off permission slips with the date, time and reason for leaving the house. Interestingly, French bakeries were able to remain open as getting baguettes daily is considered an essential part of French living. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This confinement felt overwhelmingly suffocating for us. We only had three months left in France and we longed to be maximizing our time with our local friends.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We were running out of time and suddenly we were stuck all alone in our own home. We were already hearing whispers of confinement being extended and that was so disheartening as we started to wonder if confinement would even end before our departure in June. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friday, March 20, we woke up and read an email from the USA State Department urging all American Citizens to return to the USA or, and I quote, â</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite time frame.â That phrase âindefinite time frameâ was alarming. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We loved France, but being there for an âindefinite time frameâ was not what we were looking for. Especially since the confinement was⌠well, confining! I called the US embassy in Paris to see if I could get some clarification on âindefinite time frameâ. They advised me to find a flight home within the next few days as flights were closing down. Okay, then. Deep breath. It was go time! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Friday night we were given the okay from my husbandâs employer, Federal Mogul, to purchase tickets back to the USA though my husbandâs work mission was not yet complete. We were able to purchase flights for early Sunday morning. Flights leaving after Sunday were exorbitant in price so our options were limited. This gave us Friday evening and all day Saturday to prepare for our departure. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Have I mentioned yet that we have four children? Why yes, we do. We were a family of six that needed to get our affairs in order in very quick fashion. We packed up a few suitcases, straightened up our house and off we went! I forgot to mention that our youngest daughter had started vomiting, so that was an interesting dynamic. We were not even sure if they would LET us on the airplane! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday night we received an email from the airline informing us that our flight was cancelled. So now what!? Were we going to stay? Were we trapped INDEFINITELY? There were some high emotions at this point, but when we were able to connect with the airline they found another flight for us. My poor parents in Mediapolis were riding this emotional roller coaster with us! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We walked out of our house early on Sunday morning with heavy hearts. Our goodbyes to our friends were done over the telephone. I kept telling myself that I did not have time to grieve this, and that I would spend my two week quarantine in the USA processing. Our hearts were heavy and our heads were spinning. Our little kids could not grasp that they were not going to see their classmates and teachers again. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The airports were empty and our fellow travellers were in the same situation as us; living abroad and departing frantically! It was comforting to share stories and be around people in the same âboatâ... or in this situation, the same plane! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was armed with many wipes and tried to disinfect every surface that the six of us would come into contact with. Since a four year old was in our midst, this meant I basically walked in front of her and wiped down every surface she could even think of touching. I looked and felt like a maniac. The worst were the airplane bathrooms. It was not until weeks later it was discovered that the virus was not spread by surface contamination. That information would have saved me a lot of trouble, wet wipes and gag reflex.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We arrived late at OâHare on Sunday night. We were nervous about the entry. Since we were coming from Covid-infested Europe, the occupants of our plane had to be assessed by the CDC. We had heard that if any of us showed any symptoms or temperatures that we would be whisked away to a facility for isolation--this was daunting. We passed with flying colors, thank you Jesus!</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We drove straight to my parents house where we joyfully reunited through the windows of our rented SUV. Seeing my parentâs faces made every crazy moment worth it! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then we drove a few miles away to our home. This was a home that we had purchased last summer that now held our boxes. It was certainly not a place that felt like home. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We expected to walk into our home strewn with boxes and chaos. What we found was quite different. Our friends and family blew us away with the preparations for our arrival! How they had accomplished so much in so little time is still a mystery to us! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were in awe to find the beds put together and made up, our furniture nicely arranged, the refrigerator and pantry filled with food, toilet paper in our bathroom and everything that we would need for several weeks! Now you know that this was during the Great American Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020! That means that our loved ones were so sacrificial that they shared their stash of toilet paper! Never shall we doubt their love. We were overwhelmed with gratitude for the hours of work they did on such short notice! We felt immensely blessed by God that He had provided caring and wonderful people for us on both sides of the ocean. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because we had come from Europe, we were required to quarantine for 14 days. We were to take our temperature twice a day and report any illness to the state health department. We were so emotionally and physically exhausted from our whirlwind trip that mostly we did not mind the quarantine. This quarantine felt so different to us. Here in Iowa, we knew that our time away from friends and family was temporary and that we had a lifetime to reconnect. In France, we had felt so panicky about missing out on precious time with friends and the time in our house felt wasted. Here, our time trapped in the house was productive and gave us time to process all of the changes. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We spent our time unpacking boxes and getting settled and acquainted with our new home. Our children were delighted to be reunited with their bikes and toys! Meanwhile, I was missing my favorite frying pan and knife that I had to leave in France! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what happened to the rest of our household in France? That is a question that comes up often in conversation. After all, we had left behind two cars and all the household items that a family of six acquires in two years! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My husband Nick and our fourteen year old son, Solomon flew back to France at the end of June to complete this process. Even though France was not allowing travellers from the USA, Nick and Solomon were allowed in because they had valid French Residence Cards. We knew Nick had to go to finish up his project, but Federal Mogul offered to pay for one flight for a family member to help up with the packing, moving and selling cars. As much as I yearned to go, it meant I would have to depend on a lot of people for childcare for a few weeks. We decided to send Solomon so he could have some closure as he had developed close friendships with his classmates. Plus Solomon speaks French so that was a bonus! </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Solomon spent two and a half weeks in France and then flew back to Chicago by himself. That was a really big deal for us to have our teenage son having to make connections and fly all on his own! If you would have told me one year ago that I would let my 14 year old fly home by himself from Europe, I would not have believed you for one second. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now our cars are sold, our belongings are on a sea container and Nick spent the last week in July buttoning up much of his work responsibilities. Nick handed the keys back to our landlord and moved into the small local hotel owned by our friend Christof. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Towards the end of his stay, Nick strolled around the little town of Saint Galmier that we called home for two years. He Face-timed us when he was walking past our French house at the top of the mountain. Through the screen of the Iphone, we bid goodbye to the house we called home and we were able to see one final sunset over the Forez Valley. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We look forward to another time, a hope for ânormalityâ when we can travel back to France together as a family. Until then, we will let our minds wander back to the wonder-filled days of fresh baguettes, sumptuous cheeses and the exhilaration of finding a new castle to explore!</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5wERDvBb7DrkX5UZqhilKeI09PqIWjhLPax7qeXGDjNiIM1l6zwl8G1vfShhI0GYE9PXE_3Z4zTXsns6P2BPfwfXykZxmZxv-ldwNl2YFH4xsLSTgSJyo-plfav-LTzXzmEaxGI4IzUqU/s2048/3E3A727D-961C-4D86-A5D2-4B3CC3EE1DA2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5wERDvBb7DrkX5UZqhilKeI09PqIWjhLPax7qeXGDjNiIM1l6zwl8G1vfShhI0GYE9PXE_3Z4zTXsns6P2BPfwfXykZxmZxv-ldwNl2YFH4xsLSTgSJyo-plfav-LTzXzmEaxGI4IzUqU/s640/3E3A727D-961C-4D86-A5D2-4B3CC3EE1DA2.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOupXLavkzxDeYybVz4kK8JAFouiVzNUodC1TsuTOihu9k1AYU6dT7AOvY-N24LePvwaukBeaqQ47R9-4zawazDh9Qf09mWBwkRwOThf6n3tPcqEy8-t_sa-R13OpCqNVUhK0zH54QZx2_/s2048/505C61CD-173B-4CB5-9B77-26266AD281F4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOupXLavkzxDeYybVz4kK8JAFouiVzNUodC1TsuTOihu9k1AYU6dT7AOvY-N24LePvwaukBeaqQ47R9-4zawazDh9Qf09mWBwkRwOThf6n3tPcqEy8-t_sa-R13OpCqNVUhK0zH54QZx2_/s640/505C61CD-173B-4CB5-9B77-26266AD281F4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-EGMPzzLpjH1S6i2tGhgmCi2I5GKycDVma0gmEyx3AwpGlD9hVZytt3lPs6nQCeEqsgNkkM-nXZaKMdgZLGIA9Zwz9I-m-RutU74EJ-hZJgtC7-_ZTswCQmvIQKEo6WnjB_VWgh9rhzo/s2048/9662CABC-E9DA-404C-AF86-10343341FA72.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-EGMPzzLpjH1S6i2tGhgmCi2I5GKycDVma0gmEyx3AwpGlD9hVZytt3lPs6nQCeEqsgNkkM-nXZaKMdgZLGIA9Zwz9I-m-RutU74EJ-hZJgtC7-_ZTswCQmvIQKEo6WnjB_VWgh9rhzo/s640/9662CABC-E9DA-404C-AF86-10343341FA72.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuBtZfr_7fKYQqzxfCmEqS7-F9qwX6bz6o_uJnKqWWm3QPlsDCOf0UE8IH45PfhCPw_yL9LvkS9zfGFxtzhbSAA_-pwRtH5zcgvhKPGPSHaIDCvSqvr4s6RC8e-XuE19xJAZ0hOQws4bw/s2048/64491DCB-3143-4523-8E77-20233D753D3C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuBtZfr_7fKYQqzxfCmEqS7-F9qwX6bz6o_uJnKqWWm3QPlsDCOf0UE8IH45PfhCPw_yL9LvkS9zfGFxtzhbSAA_-pwRtH5zcgvhKPGPSHaIDCvSqvr4s6RC8e-XuE19xJAZ0hOQws4bw/s640/64491DCB-3143-4523-8E77-20233D753D3C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS-VcEhyiFOE6S9H0nATSx0gNsSEPLgdvAsqrg-lWpR5T7pus-fD-HCUav6XPMlJWXDwUFnyudwrknxp6B9XT7d4DcAQwLi0yMLhWZSdaBYfBsLAOTzsL23C8CtRe2R-HoKt3jYtpnApd/s2048/540046B8-743D-4D30-AB49-0036AA0F1650.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS-VcEhyiFOE6S9H0nATSx0gNsSEPLgdvAsqrg-lWpR5T7pus-fD-HCUav6XPMlJWXDwUFnyudwrknxp6B9XT7d4DcAQwLi0yMLhWZSdaBYfBsLAOTzsL23C8CtRe2R-HoKt3jYtpnApd/s640/540046B8-743D-4D30-AB49-0036AA0F1650.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjnTIkoSh3iFBMZaD6oQ4Tj2J13jjzOM-Nh7VmvKNmXhFy8l8lLQPYtGJzmJvjmLnd8vlxwnIO1oNOCQirmxnM057EhX3DJ2S0RIXlJCZnvhRUCwJQ5m3URv7By-frNrVDpfruxwhmVfa/s2048/C72779D0-3B67-4C71-85E1-C27349263C40.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjnTIkoSh3iFBMZaD6oQ4Tj2J13jjzOM-Nh7VmvKNmXhFy8l8lLQPYtGJzmJvjmLnd8vlxwnIO1oNOCQirmxnM057EhX3DJ2S0RIXlJCZnvhRUCwJQ5m3URv7By-frNrVDpfruxwhmVfa/s640/C72779D0-3B67-4C71-85E1-C27349263C40.jpeg" /></a></div>Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-10689208657764065782018-11-11T14:59:00.002-08:002018-11-11T15:29:18.665-08:00Three Years Ago Today..<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Three years ago today my daughter was born and I had no idea. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I was settling into life with our new son Bentley whom we had adopted four months earlier. I had no idea that a young lady was passing through our area, went into labor and gave birth to a gorgeous little baby. Nick and I had both agreed after Bentley's adoption that we wanted to take time off of foster care and move into a role of supporting and advocating for foster parents. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Luckily for us, our best laid plans are not the best plans after all. I wonder if God rolled his eyes at our lofty and well-thought out plan. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> God knew that there was a new mother that was panicked because she could not care for her child. God also knew that He could melt our hearts in short-order at the ringing of the telephone and a simple but loaded question. A ten day old baby girl named Avah arrived in our home on the 3rd birthday of our newly adopted son. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb73Y3-rOtYZjoEGTewqStFTAP5A-kjyBqqdBOPqNw9jO76UxLsM6yraWGt4LIS470L813k8SW8PCugUDDuFE3-LKHsN_1bmmMbCINtIEflA0JPxzMUa02i0Hfs9W-Tag8fFKNEWIzcH7/s1600/avah%2527s+baby+pic+for+blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="922" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb73Y3-rOtYZjoEGTewqStFTAP5A-kjyBqqdBOPqNw9jO76UxLsM6yraWGt4LIS470L813k8SW8PCugUDDuFE3-LKHsN_1bmmMbCINtIEflA0JPxzMUa02i0Hfs9W-Tag8fFKNEWIzcH7/s640/avah%2527s+baby+pic+for+blog.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The day we brought Avah home from the hospital and straight to Bentley's John Deere party at my parents. She was ten days old. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7Bk8cl9pC3Ryl3FKFk86yZEqcOcSj2fTaYvn145RrxwMOqogNDvOFBi3mFDNo-vQjejQmqUR0yBgmga8NNrqAiTP2lA2z_ebi3_tduDlxOeDBd0v8OiaSv3IZyUCCWovKEnxO5oRQDkg/s1600/baby+avah+2+for+blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="922" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7Bk8cl9pC3Ryl3FKFk86yZEqcOcSj2fTaYvn145RrxwMOqogNDvOFBi3mFDNo-vQjejQmqUR0yBgmga8NNrqAiTP2lA2z_ebi3_tduDlxOeDBd0v8OiaSv3IZyUCCWovKEnxO5oRQDkg/s640/baby+avah+2+for+blog.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UKJtxhNq1E44K3vvBG7Pp0Pa91ebP_RiMoKt49KW6Ic0VZgnT-eafDPzomUStlEHGNb0wUj0mfRgqjYDkq1Xc5RB-M9Ub8z1fSJ1n66f6S5vqLcgFN-y3lKS4XUFg5ywCdE1BsZU7M7n/s1600/avah+baby+pic+blog+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="922" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UKJtxhNq1E44K3vvBG7Pp0Pa91ebP_RiMoKt49KW6Ic0VZgnT-eafDPzomUStlEHGNb0wUj0mfRgqjYDkq1Xc5RB-M9Ub8z1fSJ1n66f6S5vqLcgFN-y3lKS4XUFg5ywCdE1BsZU7M7n/s640/avah+baby+pic+blog+5.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRrpc9yxsSFf58Eb5tBRvryDaiZzf6mTC3UGht0bH2r0oScus01tyapFs_IM4ZCnv1uA6hShUmFkcDFp1ahjdcFB7jy05bWYzy4tX6sHx0mNjswj8_LHetJDq_fnEeDXiJXXETh34a0xN/s1600/avah+baby+pic+for+blog+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="922" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRrpc9yxsSFf58Eb5tBRvryDaiZzf6mTC3UGht0bH2r0oScus01tyapFs_IM4ZCnv1uA6hShUmFkcDFp1ahjdcFB7jy05bWYzy4tX6sHx0mNjswj8_LHetJDq_fnEeDXiJXXETh34a0xN/s640/avah+baby+pic+for+blog+4.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But like most stories, ours was not without many ups, downs, twists and turns. On Avah's first birthday, it was a celebration filled with fear. We knew it may be the last birthday we would ever celebrate with her. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggb5wtf64BhGXK8lDGmLsNTvmAhqSjproaRqOaBbJxG2MHhKYTpeNWRRt9qcMzEalc3hCy7MQKbAL5qPEUlzG8QsnQSCteM58RtCeu4oLyqPDNJw-9XPWGEzcGDCt-VPHw3HND5VJitVvZ/s1600/avah%2527s+first+birthday+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggb5wtf64BhGXK8lDGmLsNTvmAhqSjproaRqOaBbJxG2MHhKYTpeNWRRt9qcMzEalc3hCy7MQKbAL5qPEUlzG8QsnQSCteM58RtCeu4oLyqPDNJw-9XPWGEzcGDCt-VPHw3HND5VJitVvZ/s640/avah%2527s+first+birthday+for+blog.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> An aunt (after all of this time) came forward and wanted to adopt Avah. We were devastated. Our whole family was smitten with Avah and we adored her! Avah's mom told us that she wanted our family to adopt Avah and no one from her own family as she had a very unhealthy relationship with them. But because the mother's rights had been terminated, the mother could not have a say in the future of Avah's family. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We were in anguish at the thought of Avah <i>leaving</i> us. And we were in anguish at the thought of Avah <i>losing <b>us</b></i> as we were the only family she had ever known. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Our church prayed with and for us, our friends and family cried with us and prayed for us. We were loved through the whole process. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> And then came the interview. Nick and I had to answer questions, the same questions that the aunt was to be asked. Whoever scored higher in the interview would be the future family for Avah. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So much pressure. It was a terrifying time in our life. We trust in the Sovereignty of God, but it sure felt like so much pressure was on our every answer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The phone call came that told us that we had been chosen by the adoption committee to adopt Avah. It was the most joyous news that our hearts could hold! There was a fear of course that something could still go wrong. There could be an appeal. The judge could overrule the decision. But hope was starting to overcome the tremendous fears we had been facing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When Avah was sixteen months old, we had our official adoption court hearing and our beloved daughter finally got to be legally ours. Our friends and family packed the courtroom and shared in our joy! They too had all fallen in love with Avah and it was a celebration! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So now fast forward. Today Avah turned three. She has no idea the trajectory her life could have taken if nurses would not have intervened after she was born. I shudder to think of it. I see her willful, snappy brown eyes and her 1000 watt smile and I am so thankful that she has been able to blossom into the delightfully crazy girl that she is! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I pray for Avah's birth mother as I know that today is tortuous for her. We still keep in contact from time to time and she thanks me for loving her daughter so much and for adopting her. I am so glad that she is at peace at where Avah is at. Avah is the name her biological mother gave to her. Her mother asked me one time, "Do you like the way I put an "h" at the end? I thought of that myself" I loved how proud she was of that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Avah had a "My Little Pony" cake that we found at the local grocery store and family friends that we have met here in France came over to celebrate her. The Keely's gave her a darling stuffed puppy who is now named Keely. My parents got her the little kitchen, and we bought her all the fun accessories (espresso machine, wooden food, cutting boards, etc) She is in love as she puts on her apron and oven mitt and whips us all up all sorts of interesting food combinations. It was a glorious day to celebrate this little joy in our family.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ3uHlLSH-Yepa0Wcc3plm8Ywyw-r9vLBzP4e8O0Kx_x3e5-gOFOhprzyVm5TX5akCvzFX7r6i8Sy69geDbbeYg0pM2TnqtuiW3Fz5BpwgGE9e0HmNoFUi7s3xP88nrKDuAujFGxsfOu3/s1600/IMG-1511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ3uHlLSH-Yepa0Wcc3plm8Ywyw-r9vLBzP4e8O0Kx_x3e5-gOFOhprzyVm5TX5akCvzFX7r6i8Sy69geDbbeYg0pM2TnqtuiW3Fz5BpwgGE9e0HmNoFUi7s3xP88nrKDuAujFGxsfOu3/s640/IMG-1511.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cWGcz_VHhNtpHp5idQMXcV3f4IvE9ZEqL4y-B_5dQoaZHGIVt0fHG04-w_tdGMFHe5dwwHosHJ23tXtaq3GF0thu_DvElC7QTBXPveLpKYcvFHxWWnPM1y0D2IdmjasZHLrqC0jpw59x/s640/IMG-1512.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her new puppy Keely</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cWGcz_VHhNtpHp5idQMXcV3f4IvE9ZEqL4y-B_5dQoaZHGIVt0fHG04-w_tdGMFHe5dwwHosHJ23tXtaq3GF0thu_DvElC7QTBXPveLpKYcvFHxWWnPM1y0D2IdmjasZHLrqC0jpw59x/s1600/IMG-1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRi4_qkARw_xW5HdapdLjmFzmIAKG5z4Ug5d0q_R5lPlcZBNHnzzuv0DmpSGkFsLZt5SWizsoGjGuywfspKbRQEZBOcmqw21_C1zEz_xDlvcXIP8Ba28x1PFIpPAFQnQxXkCqhyN_i9mSB/s1600/IMG-3810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1140" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRi4_qkARw_xW5HdapdLjmFzmIAKG5z4Ug5d0q_R5lPlcZBNHnzzuv0DmpSGkFsLZt5SWizsoGjGuywfspKbRQEZBOcmqw21_C1zEz_xDlvcXIP8Ba28x1PFIpPAFQnQxXkCqhyN_i9mSB/s640/IMG-3810.JPG" width="456" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFG0b6xcTLVc_9_r4aRAJrLyiqn4o6eG5HRcyERaMFOoNbWWskc_HMJgAYVmM5QkfoTF3bt7YGqOCFvEh-oMtDwclJNgNeX7BJ9WWQMizTWjGVz6xtOVS2i14SVyJ3KlG62NZpjBE6RQFk/s1600/IMG-3817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFG0b6xcTLVc_9_r4aRAJrLyiqn4o6eG5HRcyERaMFOoNbWWskc_HMJgAYVmM5QkfoTF3bt7YGqOCFvEh-oMtDwclJNgNeX7BJ9WWQMizTWjGVz6xtOVS2i14SVyJ3KlG62NZpjBE6RQFk/s640/IMG-3817.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Sometimes I get overwhelmed with emotion to think that we almost lost her and my heart swells with gratefulness that God let Avah be part of our family. Tonight as snuggled her goodnight, I wrapped my arms around her, my whole face engulfed in her curls and I squeezed that precious little girl! That did not last long as she pried my arms off around her and nose to nose she happily started chatting away. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">p.s. here is a link to the story of the day I received a call from a DHS regarding Avah. I wrote this earlier in the year for an adoption event. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s5TU4ClRId4p3SifgFUNF4KV_ohnILJp3WPGH7hWF5Q/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-11639442244433659432018-10-02T16:51:00.000-07:002018-10-20T00:17:34.722-07:00Let's Play Catch Up!<br />
<br />
Oh I have not forgotten about you, blog! I still intend for you to be a beautifully printed off book someday of our memories of our time in France. So I guess I should have more than two entries then.<br />
<br />
The lack of writing is not for lack of material. In fact quite the opposite! There are so many cultural stories and adventures that happen that by the time I sit down to write about it, many more have transpired!<br />
<div>
<br />
From here on out, paragraphs are optional as I vaguely reconstruct our first five months in France. (note: a few pics at the end)<br />
<br />
February: We arrived in France on Feb 3. Exhausted, disoriented and the mountainous task of cleaning and putting together this house was looking more than overwhelming. IKEA and Amazon France boxes filled most of the house. Caite--our superhuman American helper stayed for two weeks and saved us. She insisted on going back to the USA much to our despair. Luisa started as our nanny and stayed with us for the first five months to acclimate us and help us with language barriers.. also a lifesaver! She is back at University now in Nice. </div>
<div>
<br />
March: Nick had to travel to Turin, Italy for work. I told him that he could not leave me in France. So we packed up all four kids plus Luisa and drove to Italy. We stayed overnight in the heart of the French Alps, which was beautiful but utterly terrifying for me to be looking over the edge of the cliffs during the drive. During Nick's business meeting, the kids (plus Luisa) and I went through an Egyptian artifacts museum. I had not prepared Bentley at all and he was horrified when he saw a real petrified body. (Hey, every mom has bad mom moments)<br />
<br />
Nephew Grant visited mid March and my parents visited us at the end of March for Easter. More about these visitors in previous blogpost, plus a very amusing story about my dad and Solomon being forced to wear speedos.<br />
<br />
April: Soon after mom and dad left, we took off for our first major European sightseeing! We drove to Venice, Italy, then took a train to Rome. While we were in Rome, we did a day trip to Pompeii. Truly that trip needs a blogpost all of it's own. Will i ever get to that "all on it's own" Italian vacation blogpost? I would say a 28% chance of this coming to fruition.<br />
<br />
Okay. So insert a sad story here. I stayed up till 2am recording history on this blog for our family posterity about our first months here in France and the website glitched apparently when I saved and published, because the previous paragraphs were all I had left. <br />
<br />
I grieved the loss of my tedious writing and I can't bear to do it all again so now I am proceeding with a much less eloquent, much less entertaining summary. <br />
<br />
After mom and dad left, we had a wonderful string of visitors. Our little church here was always so amused at the number of Americans we inundated them with: Kali from our church in Iowa, Marie Schmidgall (cousin, friend and honorary aunt to the kiddos) and Kim Kaiser (a friend I had not seen in 20 years now a missionary in Mexico, and Ed and Deb Graf, (beloved friends from our church when we lived in Indiana)</div>
<div>
<br />
Maylen and I took a girls trip to Paris. Nick was terrified to let me have control of the passports, and with good reason as I lose my phone approximately twelve times a day. We rode the train and met up with the Passport to Purpose girls from my home area which included the Founder Jodi Zaugg who is my delightfully loving sister in law.<br />
<br />
By the way. I learned today that the French would call their sister in law "Belle-soeur" which translates literally as beautiful sister. Quite fitting! Maylen's highlights were endless hours of reading on the train, speaking English, picking out clothes for Jodi and Kristen to try on at a store, and pouring over the tourist-trap trinket shops. <br />
<br />
In May when Kim and Marie came to visit, I joined them for quick get-away to the French Riviera in a gorgeous town called Cassis. We hiked to a precipice for the photo op of a lifetime! We ate our lunch overlooking the Calanques. I had no idea what a calanque was before I arrived in Cassis, but I am so much more worldly-wise and well traveled now ;) <br />
<br />
I will save you the time of googling it: I present the definition from the internet: A calanque is a narrow, steep-walled inlet that is developed in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone">limestone</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomite">dolomite</a>, or other <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonate_minerals">carbonate</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strata">strata</a> and found along the Mediterranean coast. A calanque is a steep-sided valley formed within karstic regions either by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluvial">fluvial</a> erosion or the collapse of the roof of a cave that has been subsequently partially submerged by a rise in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level">sea level</a>.<br />
<br />
Or a fjord... remember that word from social studies in 3rd grade? Basically the same.<br />
<br />
We also stopped at a small museum/store of the famous Marseilles soap. I also did not know that Marseilles was famous for being the first soap producers until a mere 18 hours before our trip. I truly love the all-natural soap and use it to make laundry soap now. That sounds more time-intensive than it really is. I have even converted our French language teacher. Isabelle, into using this laundry soap. I will miss this when I move back to the USA. </div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
Random musings: The schools here are in trimesters. 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off and repeat from Sept<br />
through June. Then two months of summer vacay. They sell pink toilet paper here. I love it. Pink </div>
<div>
things bring me joy. I feel like somewhere back in my childhood at my grandma's house I used to see<br />
pink toilet paper, but maybe that was a dream. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We spend a fair amount of time exploring local castles (called chateaus here). There are roughly ten within 15 miles of our home. Our French friends are not at all impressed with castles and they are amused with our obsession. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We attend a little church in Saint Etienne that has become a sweet church family for us. We love the international variety of people who attend. </div>
<div>
<br />
We love going to the bakery every day for our fresh loves of bread and other delicious pastries.<br />
Nick is already concerned about how he will one day have to survive without the fresh bread, oodles<br />
of soft cheese and foie gras.<br />
<br />
We live in a small town of 5000. They are very friendly and I have systematically tracked down<br />
every English speaker in a 7 mile radius. The French families have been very hospitable and<br />
are quick to invite us into their home. It really has been a joy to meet and get to know French people.<br />
<br />
French language. Either we are complete idiots or the French language is nearly impossible to<br />
learn. We are struggling. The kids are struggling. None of us can really understand what anyone<br />
is saying. We have come a LONG way but we are no where near being able to communicate<br />
at all. This has been discouraging for sure, but we plod on.<br />
<br />
In July, we boarded a plane and stayed in the USA(the land of the free and the brave and air-conditioning) for the remainder of the summer. We had a wonderful time staying in my parents basement and soaked up the friends and family time.<br />
<br />
Maylen was able to celebrate her 10th birthday with friends and Solomon enjoyed a camp-out<br />
with his friends to celebrate an early birthday.<br />
<br />
Here are some pics to brighten up the post! And I apologize for the weird formatting in this blog post. Something went awry.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1GYN-6UNHkp3j2tGO0aibF5cyWpS2_RtyMrwYD7QoklmGCygZYQcII09FZgzoi_AQKi0TtBH-iQ1V3CULefl6HXI8zdsK-zsqZp51T6WdVHEkLUxYFS-FbJB-PnLr-ZrkMMiYRPd71PE/s1600/01a49e93d46e3e5c3701590f00e1ac1a60cd09be15.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1GYN-6UNHkp3j2tGO0aibF5cyWpS2_RtyMrwYD7QoklmGCygZYQcII09FZgzoi_AQKi0TtBH-iQ1V3CULefl6HXI8zdsK-zsqZp51T6WdVHEkLUxYFS-FbJB-PnLr-ZrkMMiYRPd71PE/s640/01a49e93d46e3e5c3701590f00e1ac1a60cd09be15.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpHsEXEjifdRL5CwQWT-Uicu55vx2RCF6yqOnPIo6d7eVOJCeY3xrsI7BYImLTxmfSjLQ7FwuL5_yt0xcRXmZn0KMIerKhs65AjYCfN2-q_jUx9bzXbGTaqvAk-EbG9Nb1NUS4-hXfgUh/s1600/0123e8388ee6814684c2d7f83de108b2230430a26d.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpHsEXEjifdRL5CwQWT-Uicu55vx2RCF6yqOnPIo6d7eVOJCeY3xrsI7BYImLTxmfSjLQ7FwuL5_yt0xcRXmZn0KMIerKhs65AjYCfN2-q_jUx9bzXbGTaqvAk-EbG9Nb1NUS4-hXfgUh/s640/0123e8388ee6814684c2d7f83de108b2230430a26d.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkFYMKsxbs5kaUYCNc243eSFIVWYKzllFnwQBwItt-fV6kTmZHwqllY4lA2x2sTIGmKcuxQg8q3IpoSXzewyuH_PZMxI6CEJkWgj2TpeZKRvXiFgFSAmAW7ia7yBvWyRpLPO8GLtpLLJj/s1600/IMG_0550.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkFYMKsxbs5kaUYCNc243eSFIVWYKzllFnwQBwItt-fV6kTmZHwqllY4lA2x2sTIGmKcuxQg8q3IpoSXzewyuH_PZMxI6CEJkWgj2TpeZKRvXiFgFSAmAW7ia7yBvWyRpLPO8GLtpLLJj/s640/IMG_0550.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMwtz9vFCsDT25pMv9rOPJz3IDPIoggffSEN3NJrB1EnC2t0HNHQI5F5AD9MovmZ8iUCWnJEhwQ0AVWmnVy4lv0YzxFzc_yis-sHQ9fHwwesb_nqZZadiNSbs9cp0mguDXthE26IrU3bj/s1600/IMG_0558%25281%2529.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMwtz9vFCsDT25pMv9rOPJz3IDPIoggffSEN3NJrB1EnC2t0HNHQI5F5AD9MovmZ8iUCWnJEhwQ0AVWmnVy4lv0YzxFzc_yis-sHQ9fHwwesb_nqZZadiNSbs9cp0mguDXthE26IrU3bj/s640/IMG_0558%25281%2529.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Hg2HyO1GVhaOgJkFn36H4kyuAdK60grrHQ4nBs4Ffzh4sXCaZEr7MtahlEXFDENdOvfLJXKa-Wm5Cbqzn1RJyC8VNNpcAWfuPy7epvJwjUt4k0Vc9UM7XubO1awZ7x4Q-k3ycqRcGiby/s1600/IMG_3057+%2528Edited%2529.jpg"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Hg2HyO1GVhaOgJkFn36H4kyuAdK60grrHQ4nBs4Ffzh4sXCaZEr7MtahlEXFDENdOvfLJXKa-Wm5Cbqzn1RJyC8VNNpcAWfuPy7epvJwjUt4k0Vc9UM7XubO1awZ7x4Q-k3ycqRcGiby/s640/IMG_3057+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3wRWP5Rg-48vtJI1B5QuIEepOjiXu2WknhJ124ShNUUocIwtARkzhF7zhfKfLTWeAv-MmO8cuH0YLNc02-eh4E5xm_Bgiw1FUyW0sTscvf_ydbo3IfhDztxGc1pffWT_vPvK3aOBpihf/s1600/IMG_3168+%2528Edited%2529.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3wRWP5Rg-48vtJI1B5QuIEepOjiXu2WknhJ124ShNUUocIwtARkzhF7zhfKfLTWeAv-MmO8cuH0YLNc02-eh4E5xm_Bgiw1FUyW0sTscvf_ydbo3IfhDztxGc1pffWT_vPvK3aOBpihf/s640/IMG_3168+%2528Edited%2529.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvSIPqLSOiYO76cWWLbTWeM4es_9lflO-VSHGhItZcbVpNbexWW_PhQHg0D1cx4TCzyrCiSfAjnxR3CQSBXMmpP3mFy8yWlaN0qvVUEazumS-i3p6RZr4LWxI97wL6kRR5njHzn_xN377/s1600/IMG_3489.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvSIPqLSOiYO76cWWLbTWeM4es_9lflO-VSHGhItZcbVpNbexWW_PhQHg0D1cx4TCzyrCiSfAjnxR3CQSBXMmpP3mFy8yWlaN0qvVUEazumS-i3p6RZr4LWxI97wL6kRR5njHzn_xN377/s640/IMG_3489.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MGEbvvrX2OAoNJMhfBGypaj9G_Zq05ninW28lL9_SKdclCxUEHyZhYwlbJGhXuOSxhb0Q5QhDA4tuJIkQr_45D4-W0caLhv6ej52egvq3ZAXhrsScXKzosxYJAjHmmZzBa1JQRq96-4w/s1600/IMG_3639.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MGEbvvrX2OAoNJMhfBGypaj9G_Zq05ninW28lL9_SKdclCxUEHyZhYwlbJGhXuOSxhb0Q5QhDA4tuJIkQr_45D4-W0caLhv6ej52egvq3ZAXhrsScXKzosxYJAjHmmZzBa1JQRq96-4w/s640/IMG_3639.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASj50Yue4HQpuSf3QslVLILxnNQd8q_9TVJQ8NkSn3TbyUZAT_CdiMZMiV6X7ifiqd6Arkwnh4234KqD2AtmvkksuIiZvVyjjA_pkCdmKaEZHXV4LgThMemEEZHpwKuZICNPzv65UPmhV/s1600/IMG_3917.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASj50Yue4HQpuSf3QslVLILxnNQd8q_9TVJQ8NkSn3TbyUZAT_CdiMZMiV6X7ifiqd6Arkwnh4234KqD2AtmvkksuIiZvVyjjA_pkCdmKaEZHXV4LgThMemEEZHpwKuZICNPzv65UPmhV/s640/IMG_3917.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFwIa6L5cllC8HDtoTosKqReSZnOvrDGyt3b6Jt43p9nrPkeZnpSl4vkZIltwR8tAhHN5yQKZDKyML-snqxJhZSULnpvEJuSrWMMFSZF8wSt1NG7NHwttX5Me2ROsW20nNweZGHkP3uIp/s1600/IMG_4493.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFwIa6L5cllC8HDtoTosKqReSZnOvrDGyt3b6Jt43p9nrPkeZnpSl4vkZIltwR8tAhHN5yQKZDKyML-snqxJhZSULnpvEJuSrWMMFSZF8wSt1NG7NHwttX5Me2ROsW20nNweZGHkP3uIp/s640/IMG_4493.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasqJuLiYV3z6qMTxkLKvazWUFCqTleEo9P_Mscl0su7N3k8HrX8TiXWKrRd0qvu1qSFTZj8JZKPrnjHOLAhbLgLyk39TxTgnIJ7lu70rf9f8y7jj-OzsYbos-2LV8jm-cKkhb-4wz0i6_/s1600/IMG_9495.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasqJuLiYV3z6qMTxkLKvazWUFCqTleEo9P_Mscl0su7N3k8HrX8TiXWKrRd0qvu1qSFTZj8JZKPrnjHOLAhbLgLyk39TxTgnIJ7lu70rf9f8y7jj-OzsYbos-2LV8jm-cKkhb-4wz0i6_/s640/IMG_9495.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XsbwWYngMr7Ve3gbV3SfsXC0lReUhUb4-5SDTVldbchm9LWygbPfsFKDNvbt-QXfoR1vw9sP_0NBOJr1_OTcDZF4jTj6Ncw7atA7-yrtNBkPANtBlVZqoTlwgVnGKDOeN3qOUbpQ5uMY/s1600/IMG_E1673.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XsbwWYngMr7Ve3gbV3SfsXC0lReUhUb4-5SDTVldbchm9LWygbPfsFKDNvbt-QXfoR1vw9sP_0NBOJr1_OTcDZF4jTj6Ncw7atA7-yrtNBkPANtBlVZqoTlwgVnGKDOeN3qOUbpQ5uMY/s640/IMG_E1673.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zsyI6yG5836Xf2P9IcEhGkajBe3QwExxkn09Ae-5BVywZgQM5QVbcdpv9Il1UvgWXXL735Squ6xLcqGsQm6yg0YJCcCoOuf1FAgOea6Y25CR3ILDaP8tDW6bf9qsNYy9BEQB2x9jViIe/s1600/IMG_E1711.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zsyI6yG5836Xf2P9IcEhGkajBe3QwExxkn09Ae-5BVywZgQM5QVbcdpv9Il1UvgWXXL735Squ6xLcqGsQm6yg0YJCcCoOuf1FAgOea6Y25CR3ILDaP8tDW6bf9qsNYy9BEQB2x9jViIe/s640/IMG_E1711.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzM7WEoaOjdHpKD34ALrVFiUWsfvmPZzLsZIIJUhiOyj_pBdljpAP4FMEMtuh6NSkVoiO9cseIRSgSAAFfGcNSIum43lUlueI3jHJD9RjIK0liBtX3w0t9085ppv1WvDI01CFHyfsVT5U/s1600/IMG_E4088.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzM7WEoaOjdHpKD34ALrVFiUWsfvmPZzLsZIIJUhiOyj_pBdljpAP4FMEMtuh6NSkVoiO9cseIRSgSAAFfGcNSIum43lUlueI3jHJD9RjIK0liBtX3w0t9085ppv1WvDI01CFHyfsVT5U/s640/IMG_E4088.jpg" /></a><br />
Not a postcard! From my phone!<br />
<br /></div>
Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-45695988012758586172018-03-28T15:26:00.001-07:002018-03-30T05:19:43.551-07:00The Grand Arrival and the Adventure at the Mineral Springs! We are nearly two months in of living in France. We have gone through so many changes and there is so much that we are experiencing both positive and negative that I write several blog posts in my head every day.<br />
<br />
But these blog posts obviously have not actually materialized. Mostly because I am mentally exhausted most of the time. Every time out of the house is a complicated adventure. I realize that adventure sounds fun.. and that is sometimes the case.. but having a language barrier really complicates generally normal activities. Like going to the post office. So hard. It turns out that it is very hard to mime that you want to next day air a document. (Google translate was frozen). The first time I went to an ATM machine, it ate my card. Literally! Poof, Gone! I finally got up enough nerve to try it again one month later and I can successfully withdraw cash now. I was very pleased with myself that day.<br />
<br />
Nick and I often feel distraught at the lack of progress we are making in our French learning but our teacher insists that we are making headway. And we are starting to understand a bit more, but speaking is excessively limited. I can think of the nouns, but the verbs are so complex here that it rattles us and our one word French phrases sound so caveman-like.<br />
<br />
This has been so challenging for me as I love to get to know people and as it turns out, not being able to converse greatly effects the efficacy.<br />
<br />
Maylen has been having a really hard adjustment. She does not have any English-speakers anywhere around her except for at home. She is having to come to grips that I am her best friend... but that works out well for me because I don't exactly have dozens of English speakers at my beck and call.<br />
<br />
But I am not as fun as her nine-year old friends from home and I lack the energy and creativity that she craves. But, she has decided I am better than nothing. The other day as I we were laying in bed having chat time, I said to her, "Maylen, you are so beautiful" She looks at me with glowing love and says, "Oh Mom, you are beautiful too. On the inside though". She meant it as a genuine compliment, though for some reason it felt a bit lacking. (haruumph) (note to self: look cuter around the house)<br />
<br />
We had our first visitor two weeks ago. My oldest nephew Grant (Jason and Gayla's) came for a few days as he was enroute to a watch convention in Switzerland. It was so wonderful to have someone from "home" here. The kids lavished him with constant attention and Grant enjoyed getting to know our picturesque village! He loved going to the butcher shop, the cheese shop, and the chocolatier. It was really fun to show off our favorite spots!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMluspm9isXII7DJyv4sCsg3juEi-o5k36xKM8-KNxFTOuuJjsG7jKV8_Gy7vQE4JFuNpWFHmWpo8hB5N7fCxKMfPoyyuMTliP55N_8cnlN0lCv1A-vvubYy89rAa3sF6CzU_X7PXDSRC/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMluspm9isXII7DJyv4sCsg3juEi-o5k36xKM8-KNxFTOuuJjsG7jKV8_Gy7vQE4JFuNpWFHmWpo8hB5N7fCxKMfPoyyuMTliP55N_8cnlN0lCv1A-vvubYy89rAa3sF6CzU_X7PXDSRC/s320/IMG_0851.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDeHgFvF8O_X1F75qpHjCrc6ZfQ7fAgp11EFJMXhCwMCczKUNI6ZB0O1R5aebbX0B-pcr5JCIueJFocass_k84jZIr7Ok4_De0kfrQcsmqQdMs9JjdbgWIvR6GmMMqe9WRi0XE_jItMOR/s1600/IMG_0867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDeHgFvF8O_X1F75qpHjCrc6ZfQ7fAgp11EFJMXhCwMCczKUNI6ZB0O1R5aebbX0B-pcr5JCIueJFocass_k84jZIr7Ok4_De0kfrQcsmqQdMs9JjdbgWIvR6GmMMqe9WRi0XE_jItMOR/s320/IMG_0867.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-Db1K1gtRUE0iOJJilQQ3xw1Kov1R4n0JzFhAqiwUzhLCIzo4S4PxMiQ7DE9GxrXIWicK2NGuX9RiZqmn_QYkbxkzr0dtyAs8OtLmlN0xeEmYXdmodgCHU92DSfHYSrlCQIbw95xWZEx/s1600/IMG_0873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-Db1K1gtRUE0iOJJilQQ3xw1Kov1R4n0JzFhAqiwUzhLCIzo4S4PxMiQ7DE9GxrXIWicK2NGuX9RiZqmn_QYkbxkzr0dtyAs8OtLmlN0xeEmYXdmodgCHU92DSfHYSrlCQIbw95xWZEx/s320/IMG_0873.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaCdXm5hOf-6GuJ5G69byIfOIj7QHuQUqMgaSiBt9K-d861sRo1ANEr8JZCGj7ZKZgU1vm9Qdtyh4dXPQzXos_1tBweP5Mo_kkhKGIgka-a1-tRrlPgINmEy8PNz-QrZ4lcctPuNmcGGg/s1600/IMG_1019+%2528Edited%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaCdXm5hOf-6GuJ5G69byIfOIj7QHuQUqMgaSiBt9K-d861sRo1ANEr8JZCGj7ZKZgU1vm9Qdtyh4dXPQzXos_1tBweP5Mo_kkhKGIgka-a1-tRrlPgINmEy8PNz-QrZ4lcctPuNmcGGg/s320/IMG_1019+%2528Edited%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
We did a Raclette meal with him... sort of like fondue, except you melt the cheese on this little dishes and then pour the bubbly cheese over the meat and veggies on your plate. Amazon France provided us with this handy device.<br />
<br />
Oh yes. Amazon France. I am pretty sure I am their number one customer. When I am on their site on Chrome, the website is automatically translated, which is AHMAZING!<br />
<br />
The day before Grant came, Nick had to travel to Turin, Italy for work for two days. We decided to travel with him since we discovered that Turin has an incredible Ancient Egyptian museum... and gelato. So we traveled through the Alps, which was absolutely terrifying for me. I, in general, feel very anxious when I realize that if Nick would sneeze while careening around the mountains and through the tunnels, we would plummet to our death. Closing my eyes was often the best option. It was at this time that I became aware that I had turned into my Grandma Lois as I gripped the car door handles and begged for a reduction in speed.<br />
<br />
This is how most of our trip went:<br />
<br />
Nick: wow, guys! Look clear over there in those mountains! Look at that incredible CASTLE!<br />
<br />
Me: NO! Nick!!! Don't look at the castle!!Don't take your eyes off of this crazy winding road! Kids.. Look a the castle all you want.<br />
<br />
But Nick was mesmerized by the dramatic landscape, and I was clearly too unstable to drive in the mountains.... so much to my amazement.. we survived. And we do this drive again next month during the kiddos spring break. I tried to find train tickets so we did not have undergo this harrowing experience again, but the French train system is striking during Spring Break and we already booked a condo in Rome.... so..... I think I will take a benadryl, or whatever the French pharmacy has on hand for basketcase passengers.<br />
<br />
And now I must revert back to the present. My parents arrived two nights ago. What a glorious reunion it has been! Watching our kiddos soak in the familiar joy of grandparents is so precious. Facebook, I am sorry for the repetition of this video, but wanted to share with those not on FB.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hGTJG5ULtTA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hGTJG5ULtTA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Mom and Dad woke up and walked down the mountain via a forever long stairs to the bakery to get our fresh bread and pain au chocolate (croissant with ribbon of chocolate). Nick was at work, so I drove Mom, Dad and the two bigs to a Thermal Mineral Spa pool, where the water comes from a spring with loads of natural minerals to cure ailments and relax.<br />
<br />
This was a hilarious experience as mom and dad got to first hand see how not knowing the language created much stress.<br />
<br />
We paid and were guided to a locker room. There were only women in the locker room so dad panicked that he was in the women's locker room. He tried to ask them.. but alas they did not speak English, but since they did not recoil in horror, we decided that he was okay. Luckily the changing rooms had doors on them.....<br />
<br />
Then we descended into the thermal pool. Suddenly a lifeguard-looking guy motioned for dad and Solomon to get out of the pool. The lifeguard was rapidly speaking gibberish, I mean French, and gesturing to Dad's swim trunks, trying to explain something apparently very <b>important</b> and <b>mandatory</b>. Then he gestured to Solomon's swim trunks and shook his head vigorously saying "NO, NO!" <i>This was clearly alarming to all of us.</i><br />
<br />
Finally through a fun game of charades and a few well place English words by the lifeguard, we realized that swim trunks were NOT allowed and only ummm, <i>Speedo</i>-like bottoms were allowed for men. So the lifeguard took Solomon and Dad and returned them to the pool in swim bottoms that met the requirement. This kept Mom and I giggling for quite some time! In fact, in the last 24 hours, mom randomly bursts into laughter with her shoulders shaking as she recalls the event. Solomon has vowed to never return to this thermal mineral pool.<br />
<br />
Despite the drama, the mineral pool really felt wonderful and made our aches and pains feel better!<br />
<br />
It was an adventure we will not soon forget..<br />
<br />
You will note the lack of photographs with this story. haha! You are welcome.<br />
<br />Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-80955369017514894382018-02-11T17:10:00.002-08:002018-02-12T13:36:30.752-08:00Settling InIt has been seven days since we arrived in France.<br />
<br />
I feel like we were tossed inside a front load washing machine for the last seven days and now trying to get our footing. By the way. I am writing this at 12:30 at night and can barely keep my eyes open but don't want to much time to go by without a bit of a mention of the first week.<br />
<br />
There have been quite a bit of highs and lows. The lows include the toilet suddenly springing a leak and quickly flooding. (Yes, our flooding problems have followed us to France). The landlord had suffered two deaths in his family so he was unreachable. And, well to be honest... even if we could reach him, we cannot communicate with him.<br />
<br />
Also IKEA was supposed to deliver and set up all of our furniture before our arrival. They did not. Actually, the lack of furniture was not the huge problem... it was the lack of other household items that we had ordered and needed pronto... laundry baskets, waste baskets, silverware, glasses, plates...etc. Since we did not have a definite confirmation of when it could be delivered, we cancelled our order and started all over! <br />
<br />
Then our nanny arrived and we were delighted to finally have an interpreter in our home to help us muddle through, but alas it all started out very badly! There was a misunderstanding about the cats she was bringing and for a few hours we were not sure if we were going to have a nanny or not. I literally thought she was going to walk out the door. It was terrifying. The realization that I might not have an interpreter on hand was paralyzing. This had been my main plan for survival.<br />
<br />
Now most of you think... oh you can totally get by being an English speaker in France. No. Not true. Not in small town Southern France. In Paris, yes. No problem. The other night, I sank in my bed and asked Siri to set an alarm for me. When she responded so kindly, I felt relief that someone understood me. I am such a communicator and relationship builder that this is so frustrating for me.<br />
<br />
Grocery stores and such have become terrifying places. Apparently my fresh fruit was a huge problem and the cashier was trying to tell me that I needed to do something differently. No matter how many times she repeated it emphatically, I could not understand. The line behind me was restless and I felt humiliated. (I have since found out that the fresh fruit and veggies has a counter that you go to for weighing and tagging before checking out) Oh this is a humbling experience.<br />
<br />
And so on Tuesday, Nick and I begin French lessons. Have you ever doubted that you could actually learn something? That is me, and I could spout of a list of things that I have been unable to learn. I think that I get anxiety and the adrenaline muddles my brain's ability to process. So those of you who pray, I would love some prayers in this area.<br />
<br />
Okay. Now that you are feeling dreadfully miserable about our experience so far... all is not so gloomy! For one, despite the intial interaction with Luisa, we have loved having her here. She fits into our family so well. She has helped us so much by translating for us with the schools, our landlord, restaurants, etc. and we are incredibly grateful! We all enjoy her presence and she seems to enjoy being around us as well!<br />
<br />
And let me tell you about Caite. Caite is 18 and has babysat for us for a few years and our families are close friends. We had asked her if she wanted to come with us to France to help us as we simply could not process how to move through airports and customs with gargantuan amounts of luggage and the Littles! She agreed to come with us and be our Sherpa. Nick and I looked at each other several times throughout our lengthy air affair and agreed that Caite was the best thing that ever happened to us and that we could not have done it without her. <br />
<br />
We of course had several airport fiascos. Not only was I flagged, searched and fully patted down, (and I do mean fully)... I also had all of our snacks confiscated due to them having two alarms at the gallon ziploc. Apparently this was a really big deal as the airport people had to call a BigWig to ask for protocol of such magnitude. As they whisked away my means of keeping my four kiddos complacent, I nearly broke down. I had made a SPECIAL trip to Target and Marshalls to pick out the ideal snacks to eat; healthy and sustaining, not messy and liked by my four. Taking away the snacks was like taking away the LIFE LINE!<br />
<br />
Oh, and then there was the small ordeal of me not having a ticket from Belgium to France. The whole plane was loaded and my family was frantically watching me at the ticket counter. They had no record of me having a ticket on that flight. Once again, more BigWigs had to be called for such things.<br />
<br />
Why did I not have a ticket? Well, when I check in at Moline, they said they could not print me a ticket because my seat had not been assigned and to get ticketed at Chicago. Chicago said the seat was not yet assigned so just merely get my ticket printed in Belgium. The kids were beginning to panic that I would not be accompanying them to France. At this point... I was totally okay with it. Just deport me back to the USA and send the kids and hubby back in a week.<br />
<br />
Wait, I was moving away from the gloomy stuff and I got sucked back in. Bottom line, Caite and Luisa have been golden and am so thankful!<br />
<br />
We have had many other first this week. One being Solomon and Maylen attending school. I honestly have never been so impressed with them in my whole life. Their courage was astounding as I saw their faith sustain them. They left terrified, and came home with excitement and joy! Both had been welcomed beyond their expectations. They saw and knew God's provisions for them and it was a huge WIN! Up until this... everything had been pretty bleak. Solomon has an English teacher that is totally looking out for him and one classmate that is from England. This Maximillian sought Solomon out immediately and took him under his wing. Solomon said it was just like Harry Potter arriving at Hogwarts... complete with the English accent.<br />
<br />
And Maylen, sweet Maylen.... We took her into the school just to find out what we were supposed to do. The Director and Luisa spoke rapidly to each other and I was told that we were taking Maylen to her classroom and that I was supposed to come back at 11:45 to pick her up! Um, Maylen was not planning on going to school that day, but she took a deep breath, shot me a panicked look and went off with her teacher...that only speaks French. But at 11:45 when I nervously stood by the gates with the other parents to pick up my daughter, I saw a shiny eyed, bouncy red-head coming my way! She had a wonderful time! She was surrounded at recess she told me, with no place to move as everyone wanted to play with the American. The students are over the moon excited to have her and so excited to teach her French as they try out the few English words they know on her.<br />
<br />
They are now on Spring break for two weeks, and I am so glad they got to experience school before break so that the nervousness did not continue to mount. They both feel great about school and are excited to go back.<br />
<br />
We have felt so warmly welcomed in this picturesque little village! It truly looks like something from a storybook. People are happy to have us here and cannot believe that someone from so far away has moved into Saint Galmier. When then they hear our English, they ask "England?" When we reply, "United States", their eyes get big with disbelief. I found it curious that they could not differentiate between a British accent and the American accent, but would I be able to differentiate between different French dialects? Of course not! <br />
<br />
And not to be left out, I too have a friend. The English teacher at Solomon's school emailed me to invite me to tea. She is delighted to speak English with someone and we get along great! Maylen was so proud of me as we all had our first "playdate" invites this first week! I realized that Solomon and Maylen were also worried about me, like I am concerned about them. They are so happy I have a friend. When I told some of my US friends about this, they were convinced that this would be the first of many friends. HA! It is very hard to make friends without the ability to speak to each other and she is the only English teacher in town! But even if I only have one friend in my two years here, I am incredibly thankful for the one God provided!<br />
<br />
Today we visited the church that we had visited last summer on our Look and See Trip. The worship through singing is great. Most of the songs are familiar, that even though it is being sung in a different language, the words we know in our heart. But the sermon. Excruciating. It was incredibly hard to listen to a completely different language. I read some passages in the Bible, read a devotional on my phone from John MacArthur, and tried to pick out any familiar French words. I found a few. Like three. Not enough to string together anything meaningful! The church is in a bigger town called Saint Etienne and there is a few English speakers there.<br />
<br />
Today after church we found out that there was a castle 10 minutes away from our home. We had a wonderful family day (plus Caite and Luisa) walking around and discovering a quaint little village nearby.<br />
<br />
Well, this girl needs to get to bed. Lots of organization tomorrow, and lots more furniture assembly. Nick starts work tomorrow, leaving us car-less and Nick-less.<br />
<br />
We are so grateful for the easy connections that technology provides! We love being able to FB messenger video chat and keep up with our friends and family via fb.<br />
<br />
<br />
Having trouble with the pics, so those will have to come later!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-16355107516441102632017-11-30T22:21:00.000-08:002017-12-01T10:55:02.799-08:002017 Christmas LetterWelcome back to this dusty old blog! I am resurrecting this ol' writing space for the sake of a travel journal--and of course this year's Christmas letter (2017). <br />
<br />
It has been three years since we have sent out any updates on our life by way of pictures or Christmas cards. This has not been for any lack of happenings, but on the contrary and Christmas card mailings have sunk to the bottom of our priority list. It is actually still there, but we did not feel it was fair to flee the country and not give any info on the happenings in our family over the past few years.<br />
<br />
So I will start with France. Yes. We are moving to France for two years come January 24th. The most oft question asked is: Are you excited about it? And the answer to that question is: We have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off for so many months trying to prep for this move that we have not had a lot of time to process our "feelings". No time for that. I guess we will process when we get there and we sit around in our French home and have no one but ourselves to talk to.<br />
<br />
The next question: Do you know French? No. Refer to previous answer. We do know that cheese is fromage and we plan to eat a lot of that.<br />
<br />
We are moving to a small town of 5000 in SE France. We will be dual-enrolling our children in the French school in the village. They do not speak any English there-- except for the English teacher, which we have met and I have plans to become best friends with her. We visited a wonderful little church that we loved and plan to attend. A gentleman named John from England offered to sit behind us and translate the sermon. He may have a full-time job doing so for the next few years! Hubby has been working for Federal Mogul in Burlington for the past six years and the French plant is instituting a new line of spark plugs for BMW and apparently Federal Mogul thought that moving our wild clan overseas was going to be the best way to do this. Our nearest biggish city is Saint Etienne which is 30 minutes away, and the big cool city nearest us is Lyon which is about an hour away and approx the same size as Saint Louis. We also will be living a little more than an hour away from a famed French Alps ski town called Grenoble.<br />
<br />
We are keeping our home here in the Midwest and we have friends that are moving in to care-take for our home.<br />
<br />
Okay. Now that the France topic is settled, let's move on to our little Gremlins. We have added two since our last official family news release. Three years ago, we added B-man to our family. He came to us through foster care and after parental rights were terminated, we welcomed him into our family. Meet B-man<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYvVDFtq25rgngtdPA6kMKLWG7MugGyIc3PW5fl9KzMAtQFMGP0KI_bwkfo5p8U27dbjo644IefKhOayFw9f29QTyKEt5iAgX17dN4aAWMCtm0Bv9Ak0dsiSGnJAm-XyWxIObapmeZY8s/s1600/zaugg-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYvVDFtq25rgngtdPA6kMKLWG7MugGyIc3PW5fl9KzMAtQFMGP0KI_bwkfo5p8U27dbjo644IefKhOayFw9f29QTyKEt5iAgX17dN4aAWMCtm0Bv9Ak0dsiSGnJAm-XyWxIObapmeZY8s/s400/zaugg-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
B-man was 20 months when he came to live with us but now is a whopping five years of age! B-man's main interests are train videos, playing outside, driving his tractors around the house and chatting. Oh, and I cannot forget bike-riding. He loves that. And whistling. He in fact is the only child in our home who knows how to whistle and he carries that banner high! B-man has been in preschool the last two years. B-man is unconcerned about our move to France and is very excited about riding the trains in Europe. He is very verbal so we expect he will be fluent in French within three weeks of our arrival (give or take).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This past March we added another little one. Meet Curly Girly! Curly Girly was ten days old when she came to live in our home via foster care. We got to adopt her in March at 14 months old. She was a sweet, cheerful baby who has morphed into a joyful and ornery toddler who turned two this fall. She is social as all get out and is in party mode at all times. Curly Girly's siblings are the delight of her life. She loves to sing and pretty much seeks to entertain us at all times! Meet Curly Girly...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZeGOXA9iqQX5OgKv7_dvi36EMe3b2j_IWkmO4rzs6i0KTquoyAnSGipPfREukvh5BT8zz0y1pvnyx6WPLQ-HyrQexJnu500Nyiox9-aLSdUhQs3eQvxB0SNHIHjtP9Uv8djI3be-D_vC/s1600/avah+age+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZeGOXA9iqQX5OgKv7_dvi36EMe3b2j_IWkmO4rzs6i0KTquoyAnSGipPfREukvh5BT8zz0y1pvnyx6WPLQ-HyrQexJnu500Nyiox9-aLSdUhQs3eQvxB0SNHIHjtP9Uv8djI3be-D_vC/s400/avah+age+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Next up is Strawberry. Strawberry is nine years old and is known for her red hair with strawberry blonde highlights. Strawberry just keeps getting longer and stretching out like a weed. She is our soulful, deeply insightful child. She would read books for 10 hours a day if we let her. Her other minor hobbies are basketball, soccer, playing outside and creating imaginative play for the littles. Strawberry is a gentle-hearted soul with plenty of spice on the side. What a delightful combination she is. Strawberry is pretty gung-ho about moving. Turns out she has a sense of adventure that was lurking beneath the surface. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpys5gjZuTYPldKpqSKGPdCl03NT0k2jwSUGQ7yi_o6-VFGR7vAAyqFygkLk4wbHkF0Gjld_NJJs89NLarCN45_AxQYX7UtzuR2NTo4du3OB3pzr6NVLMJuZ0bOGwRhuNg9vGc7ArT3C8/s1600/zauggoriginal-53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpys5gjZuTYPldKpqSKGPdCl03NT0k2jwSUGQ7yi_o6-VFGR7vAAyqFygkLk4wbHkF0Gjld_NJJs89NLarCN45_AxQYX7UtzuR2NTo4du3OB3pzr6NVLMJuZ0bOGwRhuNg9vGc7ArT3C8/s400/zauggoriginal-53.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And now Sojo. Sojo is in middle school (gulp). Sojo loves being with his friends (the fun five) and reading and legos are his main interests. Soccer, percussion and minecraft are among his favorites but he loves just "hanging out" and not being too busy. He is definitely a quality time kind of guy! He is an attentive older brother and tends to the "Littles" very unselfishly. They bask in his attention. Sojo is 12 and quite apprehensive about our move to France. Leaving his friends and extended family behind is hard for him, but the pull of adventuring around Europe does offer him some consolation. Both he and Strawberry are passionate about art and would have stayed for days touring the Louvre in Paris when we visited this summer. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIP-S8yzMphnv3eL_L1AuIHxvQmCeeKoGde73aINydhNr5cHrY_MQR3I49lqQN1S4u3-2I0hpP_rFsfj6mtIzQAjbQvdqwnasjsK9On0yqLqJq0K4qdF9Z7cqAoRu3stW-KS7uG0GtzbU/s1600/zauggoriginal-55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIP-S8yzMphnv3eL_L1AuIHxvQmCeeKoGde73aINydhNr5cHrY_MQR3I49lqQN1S4u3-2I0hpP_rFsfj6mtIzQAjbQvdqwnasjsK9On0yqLqJq0K4qdF9Z7cqAoRu3stW-KS7uG0GtzbU/s400/zauggoriginal-55.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Me. Um.. I am 41, and can't think of any interests or hobbies. Well, I sure like it when I can catch an afternoon nap and all, but beyond that, I am pretty much in throws of full time mom-hood and I am thankful for this crazy little slice of life. Oh wait. I just thought of one. My lattes are my hobby. My beautiful creations of espresso and milk swirled together in a glass mug are a passion of mine! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hubby works diligently at his job at Federal Mogul and pours himself into our family. A few new grays hair sprout out every month and they are a badge of honor for him! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxQNP2JyEDcXTwxhQzaLLWGmqTaRcZBYVNF1PHWbJTI8PBoE5cGSbYCTLckwuW-t0lc2w0ntPLyyxdUbr5NQXIOMw4NnMulTL7swrUPJNOzGY3I9rRekX0fbnpUVkQZ-3DpJjLo1klYZZ/s1600/zauggoriginal-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxQNP2JyEDcXTwxhQzaLLWGmqTaRcZBYVNF1PHWbJTI8PBoE5cGSbYCTLckwuW-t0lc2w0ntPLyyxdUbr5NQXIOMw4NnMulTL7swrUPJNOzGY3I9rRekX0fbnpUVkQZ-3DpJjLo1klYZZ/s400/zauggoriginal-34.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well that is a pretty good summary of our family for this Christmas letter! We are grateful for the gift of salvation that came through Christ on the cross. We are dependent on the grace He offers us, and we hope to grow in our love and understanding of His greatness in the coming year through all the changes ahead of us. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We do plan on keeping up on this blog about our time in France. No promises. But at least at this point it sounds like a good idea! Merry Christmas, friends. Love to you all!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Z-pack</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
*photography by Rose Schmidgall Photography</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUR5Kr_traLiOV0NYnqmy1ci26f-yeu4gp6aCIdrRl2s7S87MUP_CDvGVJNcY9kHXYhVZeP8df7xjw34IY82RhgH7-QaVPwyvy0HHiexxS5oZQC2FTrG3nFhWOWVrSPYqQXHMeXM1vMUB/s1600/zauggoriginal-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1600" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUR5Kr_traLiOV0NYnqmy1ci26f-yeu4gp6aCIdrRl2s7S87MUP_CDvGVJNcY9kHXYhVZeP8df7xjw34IY82RhgH7-QaVPwyvy0HHiexxS5oZQC2FTrG3nFhWOWVrSPYqQXHMeXM1vMUB/s640/zauggoriginal-51.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-68712862060180251852014-11-26T11:51:00.004-08:002014-11-26T12:06:38.664-08:00Thanksgiving Post ~ Cancel Complaining!<b style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3e1ea5c6-ed95-43bc-8607-78ede67672f8" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b> </div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /><br />
</b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Colossians%203.15" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Colossians 3:15</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #a61c00; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>And be thankful</em></span>.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My six year old daughter Maylen enjoys clothes. She loves laying out her outfit for school the next day. She loves mixing and matching and coming up with fun combinations. However, she really despises folding her clothes. Last week she looked at her basket of impending work and declared, âI have too many clothes! I wish I did not have so many clothes!â </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ud5oGEdMHO2DMcRMNPFLcf0kV2hB0I6GNpgyQRE4Xr9ftqSi-8sgz_Q78D4E65se2quW95XgfOCYSLEAaRpf7wJVZpcxC6Bwfrh1fGSuT1-GBClKhVDJCqpjcqoMXYLAt1o5urfHQ881/s1600/1-IMG_9809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ud5oGEdMHO2DMcRMNPFLcf0kV2hB0I6GNpgyQRE4Xr9ftqSi-8sgz_Q78D4E65se2quW95XgfOCYSLEAaRpf7wJVZpcxC6Bwfrh1fGSuT1-GBClKhVDJCqpjcqoMXYLAt1o5urfHQ881/s1600/1-IMG_9809.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I immediately used this as a teaching opportunity to talk to her about children who are so impoverished that they only have one outfit to wear. Undaunted by this scenario, Maylen sighed heavily and insisted that those girls are truly lucky because they donât have to waste </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">SO</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> much of their life folding clothes. I was aghast at her outrageous claim and was momentarily speechless as I formulated my rebuttal. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cursed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> her </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">blessings</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">! *</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Let that sink in for a moment. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Maylen <strong><span style="font-size: large;">cursed</span></strong> her blessings. The very things that she adores, she grumbles about when the tide changes! I have a feeling that she is not the only one :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Truly most of the things we complain about are the very blessings that our Heavenly Father has given us out of His love and mercy. He showers blessings on us and we curse them when they are not convenient for the moment. Heartbreaking! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is a life passion of mine to make sure my children have a global vision. I believe that in order for our children to be globally focused, they must first recognize the immense blessings overflowing in their lives that most of the world cannot fathom! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A few years ago I heard Susie Larson, author of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Growing Grateful Kids</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> speak at the Hearts at Home conference. What I remember most is this nugget of wisdom â</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You cannot impart what you do not live</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.â That quote jarred my soul. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My OWN heart had to be pouring out thankfulness. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> My OWN lips had to cease complaining.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I had to stop cursing my blessings. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I desperately want my children to be grateful, not consumed with worldliness and constantly wanting more, but it has to start with me. I then started a crusade of thankfulness to retrain my heart. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">~ When I would turn on the water, âWow, how BLESSED we are that we have CLEAN, running water inside of our house! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">~ After getting medicine for strep throat for the kiddos I would make sure to verbalize, âWe are so blessed that we have access to medicine that can make us healthy again, and doctors who can treat us.â</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">~Instead of my usual grumbling about having to put away all the groceries after a haul from the grocery store, âThank you God for providing so much healthy food to nourish our bodies that we did not have to grow all by ourselves!â </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It drove my husband a bit batty and it sounded quite campy at times. In fact, it felt quite foreign to me. But like I said, I was retraining. Quite quickly our children started to tune in to the blessing of having blessings; which were previously considered âgivens.â </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Several winters ago, my husband challenged me on how much I was complaining about the bitter cold. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Said the Hubby, âWhen we lived in South Carolina you loved the weather, but we were missing out on so much being far away from family. God blessed us with a job allowing us to move five minutes from your parents! You were SO excited to move back to Iowa! You cannot have it both ways!â </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Harrumph. How right he was. Again. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I was cursing my blessings. God had answered a prayer for us and here I was complaining! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It takes utter self-restraint for me not to complain about the winters because I truly do disdain them. Every time a thought comes to my head about the unfortunate weather and my state of miserableness, I combat it with focusing on blessings and praising God. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ephesians%205.20" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Ephesians 5:20</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">..giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father</span><a href="http://www.esvbible.org/Hb13.15%3BJn14.13/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Thanksgiving Holiday is here in all of its glory of feasting and family. Consider taking a moment with your family to imprint on your hearts to make thankfulness your family banner. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cancel complaining</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and let our praises and grateful hearts bring Glory to the Father, our King, our Savior.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Psalm%20106.1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Psalm 106:1</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*<span style="color: #0b5394;"> I thank Kirk and Keri Plattner for introducing me to the concept of cursing our blessings several years ago in their blog. It has stuck with me and has truly helped me see the sin in my complaining. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</b><br />Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-12451625519392386362014-08-21T12:40:00.001-07:002014-11-26T11:57:42.327-08:00Back to School and Home School Curriculum ChoicesBack to School! <br />
<br />
Minnie started Kindergarten this week and is really enjoying it! Mickey will be educated at home for third grade and is also dual-enrolled at our local elementary for Music and Art. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9n_kZpvnjyGnalp5V9SFJp1XM8nzZXg5LSBksrGwRJfI-gT6qoRhVqPz4cRZE7CoC7Fy_VnL2nhhNvPu-SDJLaonXxTt9JVCh_s538mdtGaPQePiefpJT0ySVy4-MkP8eNuNCOt8b-aJB/s1600/IMG_8857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9n_kZpvnjyGnalp5V9SFJp1XM8nzZXg5LSBksrGwRJfI-gT6qoRhVqPz4cRZE7CoC7Fy_VnL2nhhNvPu-SDJLaonXxTt9JVCh_s538mdtGaPQePiefpJT0ySVy4-MkP8eNuNCOt8b-aJB/s1600/IMG_8857.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kindergarten Teacher</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfZFMD8DLSnDFD24SBMBno7A6qOIsg7Casf6rKsMfJ68skgZkgds0ZHgo56jY2GHS05ftznHwRbjmtFP8c7IpprBnvab9VwmjeHGMvPPO4wf3BEwtgxkecVMHf2KRr9jR9BSJj9aZaArJ/s1600/IMG_8867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfZFMD8DLSnDFD24SBMBno7A6qOIsg7Casf6rKsMfJ68skgZkgds0ZHgo56jY2GHS05ftznHwRbjmtFP8c7IpprBnvab9VwmjeHGMvPPO4wf3BEwtgxkecVMHf2KRr9jR9BSJj9aZaArJ/s1600/IMG_8867.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Polka dot painted toenails for her first day! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyA-BZpvIazm7JKSf-72Wz11au3nMpuxV3Kg4OUEYEHsBIsVHBZyk8BQmEwHlSifiOtmEyYRr9XRz_OErLbs1-QVqWHK_84m8CXfNwArc7eVZX6y-hxxkOp0ei5FCC4mlmoFpeAg9rsJvH/s1600/IMG_8881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyA-BZpvIazm7JKSf-72Wz11au3nMpuxV3Kg4OUEYEHsBIsVHBZyk8BQmEwHlSifiOtmEyYRr9XRz_OErLbs1-QVqWHK_84m8CXfNwArc7eVZX6y-hxxkOp0ei5FCC4mlmoFpeAg9rsJvH/s1600/IMG_8881.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VxCwHk_S9Q_1dqaReOxJFbGbhLScbX40G_MqQ1T0rNRt3CIvaXxr6jf-tMQLo84JXtsPf7pxFPkNCgoMz2wa9bxdzHhLpDAWZ6wfzjamkxzf4l0qxeV6lemU-DYtibTDn6LPi5F6MnFb/s1600/IMG_8876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VxCwHk_S9Q_1dqaReOxJFbGbhLScbX40G_MqQ1T0rNRt3CIvaXxr6jf-tMQLo84JXtsPf7pxFPkNCgoMz2wa9bxdzHhLpDAWZ6wfzjamkxzf4l0qxeV6lemU-DYtibTDn6LPi5F6MnFb/s1600/IMG_8876.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I often get asked about my curriculum choices so I decided to post it this year. I use an eclectic variety of curriculum. This year I am using heavy parent involvement curriculum since it is just Mickey and I at home this year. Twas impossible last year with our little baby, so he used online learning (time4learning.com). <br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-594c1fc4-fa0e-7207-ad18-cf9f9162c857" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Science</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Exploring Creation with Astronomy by Jeannie Fulbright (Young Explorers Series) One hour, twice a week. 30 lessons.</span></span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">
<br /><br />
</span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Social Studies</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Easy Peasy Third Grade Geography 20 min per day (online curriculum) </span></span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Heritage Studies 3 BJU press. (one chapter a week)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Adventures in Other Lands-Abeka (once a week)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
<br /><br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Math</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Math Lessons for a Living Education Book 3. Queen Homeschooling Supplies (see affiliate link on sidebar) Charlotte Mason style education materials. Daily. 30 min per day</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Guinness World Records Math. Daily 10 min. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ipad Math 10 min</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
<br /><br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Language Arts</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Main Curriculum--Building Christian English Series by Rod and Staff (English 3) (30 min per day)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Guinness World Records Reading Daily 10 min (supplement)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How to Write a Story Evan Moor (supplement)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Daily 6 Trait Writing grade 3 (supplement)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin: 0pt -13.5pt 0pt 36pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Vocabulary--Words of the Week Volume 1 Daily by Sandi Queen (supplement)</span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin: 0pt -13.5pt 0pt 36pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reading: Abeka Book level 4 and Little House on the Prairie Series</span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin: 0pt -13.5pt 0pt 36pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kindle Math games 10 min</span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
<br /><br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Foreign Language</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Rosetta Stone- daily 15 min</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
<br /><br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bible</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Draw to Learn Proverbs Ray and Charlene Notgrass 25 min per day. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="color: black;"> </span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -13.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Typing: </strong>Ipad (icolor type) and Typing Instructor (cd rom)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
<br /><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </b><br />Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-6699498920658471562014-05-15T10:07:00.000-07:002014-05-28T09:56:11.028-07:00Three Weeks Later....I have been following this<a href="http://bensauer.blogspot.com/2014/05/heaven-changes-everything-homecoming.html"> blog</a> the past few months. A five year old twin boy that started having headaches in January was diagnosed with incurable brain tumor. Ben Sauer is his name and his mother has been blogging about their journey.<br />
<br />
My mom asked a few months ago why in the world I would immerse myself in such a sad story. I told her that the mother knew her son was leaving for heaven and I knew our baby Tallie was leaving to her bio dads--both impending, permanent losses yet different circumstances. The mother's heart-wrenching words brought both comfort and validation to my pain. Her blog post this morning brought the sad news that her son had died. She writes that though you know the loss is coming, nothing can prepare you for the moment you realize they are gone.<br />
<br />
Many people have asked me if knowing that Tallie was most likely going to leave made it easier... I don't think it did. In fact, I think it drew out the pain as we fixated on the impending doom. I felt guilty when I was frustrated with her ( as one gets with fussy babies at times) as I wanted to just drink in every moment with her. I felt guilty folding clothes and not playing with her, I felt guilty feeling irritated when she needed holding EVERY moment when she would come home from a visit with her bio dad. It was EXHAUSTING, yet I wanted no regrets. I was<em> terrified</em> of having regrets after she was gone. And yet, a mama has to tend to her children, her husband, the laundry, homeschooling, church, etc.... <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknMQ8lp4b_cn4QlZXgRYns9zaIDjxESGkAltzA9u-2iiYiq0l-ROt7sVs41hyphenhyphenxS3W-FDbFTbk7jGAvt0rTkwGFedhbJgep4O1lUaRpDK9PQusv19FKPZ20OvEr-4WZh37HyTO9Zhr4G5X/s1600/IMG_6870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknMQ8lp4b_cn4QlZXgRYns9zaIDjxESGkAltzA9u-2iiYiq0l-ROt7sVs41hyphenhyphenxS3W-FDbFTbk7jGAvt0rTkwGFedhbJgep4O1lUaRpDK9PQusv19FKPZ20OvEr-4WZh37HyTO9Zhr4G5X/s1600/IMG_6870.JPG" height="452" width="640" /></a><br />
And now the guilt comes in other forms. Is there more I could have shared with Tallie's lawyer, is there more I could have done to change the outcome of the case? GUILT!<br />
<br />
Instead of basking of my other two lovebugs' snuggles early in the morning, I feel the stark absence of a pudgy, curly-haired baby that coos in my ear. I remember my friend blogging about her grief and how numb she had become to everyone. I feel that same way. GUILT! <br />
<br />
I am in my own little world processing and want to shut everyone else out. GUILT!<br />
<br />
I worry about her. I KNOW she is missing us and I hope she is being comforted. I am so worried that she feels abandoned by us. GUILT! I speak Truth back to myself, knowing that our family provided her with 10 months of joy and love, but the Enemy attacks. <br />
<br />
I force myself to participate in life, but I am not truly "living" it right now.. just going through the motions. I rarely take phone calls as it is hard for me to "small talk", as I know I just can't vomit my heart-ache and anger (towards DHS, bio-dad, etc) to everyone.<br />
<br />
People have seen me out and about smiling and doing "life" and note that I seem to be doing fine. That is called compartmentalizing, my friends. I am fine because I cling to the Truth of Christ, but that simply does not erase the sadness. I am grateful for the snippets of joy and fun that have come and gone in the last few weeks, but her little grin-face is always, always right in my line of vision. <br />
<br />
It has been three weeks since I have seen her and I know she has learned new words, new tricks, more curls sprouting and it is killing me to not be there with her. I wonder if she dreams of us and smiles in her sleep and our silliness.<br />
<br />
I wonder if her bio dad lets her play with the little baby album I made for her. I wonder if he lets her play with her dolly and wubbanub that I mailed.<br />
<br />
My thoughts are constantly with her, and I know that it is robbing me of my life in the present, but I am so afraid that those thoughts will start to fade away. I am fearful of getting back to normal as I feel guilty for "letting her go".<br />
<br />
On Mother's Day, our family sat around our Ipad and watched videos of Tallie. My favorite one was where I was trying to do patty-cake with her ( we always end with a declaration of "MOMMY HUG!"). This particular time, she did not want to do patty-cake, she just wanted to do the "mommy hug" over and over. I am so thankful that because we are aware of her possible leaving, we tried to record many special moments. Here is a short video of her that makes me smile....Tallie <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_CWmc1hoFk">"uh, oh</a>"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
I feel God's healing presence. He has not abandoned me or my family and I trust that he has not abandoned our sweet Tallie. I see His blessings everywhere. We have been so blessed by the outpouring of love and support. Meals made for us, thoughtful gifts, cards, phone calls.... we have felt the love of our spiritual family. I see my children healing, the anger subsiding and I see them seek God for their comfort and not turn from Him as Mickey was very upset with God for not intervening. Mickey is now learning to trust that God has it all under control and we can trust His ways. I thank God that he has captured my son's heart and not letting Mickey give into anger and grudges. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NLLHVbRHx9TuxwEoIEHoZT1azC_ZP2Aryg4l8yjO4navPXvs4sPfk0OnAGhbLNzTfI_wFpPnaQSCfbk4jcwpGL16AoWMoCCAV3YrGX_e2ssfP2TCCI10rHnrZ3Cgf8bQ389nodlQaJM6/s1600/IMG_6638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NLLHVbRHx9TuxwEoIEHoZT1azC_ZP2Aryg4l8yjO4navPXvs4sPfk0OnAGhbLNzTfI_wFpPnaQSCfbk4jcwpGL16AoWMoCCAV3YrGX_e2ssfP2TCCI10rHnrZ3Cgf8bQ389nodlQaJM6/s1600/IMG_6638.JPG" height="456" width="640" /></a><br />
We will never stop praying that bio dad will have compassion and will allow us to see Tallie again. We welcome anyone to join us in that! Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-37781339486955287262014-04-25T14:34:00.003-07:002014-04-28T15:40:52.223-07:00She's GoneAnd just like that. The precious little girl, Tallie (our nickname for her) is gone. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1U-gjuMCktberZjms1tve5Ha_xkZdL91Fz-UK6qhJbz_AA62YkOnwhzjxWYvlsfwkRIycPRL0IrQl187GedJlnnOrBMRO-Myvk4Sxs3IP5YEhn7HgZ40qEemaTDA2rnUBBloXNDj3QTKc/s1600/IMG_6579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1U-gjuMCktberZjms1tve5Ha_xkZdL91Fz-UK6qhJbz_AA62YkOnwhzjxWYvlsfwkRIycPRL0IrQl187GedJlnnOrBMRO-Myvk4Sxs3IP5YEhn7HgZ40qEemaTDA2rnUBBloXNDj3QTKc/s1600/IMG_6579.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
That ten month old, curly haired bundle of joy left our home for a visit with her bio dad and never came back. Court happened in between and the judge made a ruling right before Tallie was to return. So she didn't. Though we have all been preparing ourselves as much as possible for this event. Apparently it wasn't enough. Maybe you cannot prepare yourself for such a loss. I know this for sure. You cannot withhold your heart from a sweet baby. We have had her in our home since she was eleven days old. Though it was thought at different points that she would be our forever baby, we knew there were risks, but we loved with reckless abandon. How could we do anything less?<br />
<br />
The bio dad brought Tallie to the courtroom and she was delighted to see us as we were sitting behind her. Then her delight turned to confusion as she wondered why we did not swoop her up. She let us know that was not acceptable. She lunged toward us with her arms outstretched, and making a racket. Hubby and I were frozen, we did not know what to do. We knew the bio dad would be furious at us if we took her, but we could not reject her. I quickly asked the dad for permission and shockingly he granted it. Tallie dove into Hubby's arms and nuzzled her nose deep into his neck, then she came up for air and lunged towards me with her chubby little arms. She hugged me tightly, then turned to the front of the courtroom towards all watching, smiled her million dollar smile showing her two bottom teeth, and clapped her hands to show how pleased she was. <br />
<br />
I don't even remember the beginning of court as I was just gazing at Tallie and drinking her in. I did not know this was the last time I was to see her, so I am so glad I had my smile fixed on her. We knew that DHS was recommending to the court that Tallie go live with her bio dad, so we knew that our time was short, we just did not know how short. We had asked Tallie's lawyer if we could address the court. The judge granted that. <br />
<br />
My sweet husband, stood up, his voice shaky--still holding Tallie. He explained to the judge that Tallie still sees our family as her first attachment and even though she is learning to like her bio daddy, we feel that a longer transition time would be more beneficial as up to this point Tallie was spending more nights at our home in the week than at her bio-dads. Nick suggested that we increase the nights at bio-dads, and decrease the nights at our home to lessen the blow of the loss for this precious baby to not put her at risk for reactive attachment disorder. <br />
<br />
I was so proud of my husband. He loves that little girl and to let her go to another daddy is so painful for him. He was so articulate in his words though I could hear the pain dripping behind each one. <br />
<br />
Two days before court the bio dad had come to our home to pick up Tallie. She turned away from her bio dad and clung to Hubby's neck as if to say, "Please protect me daddy!". Hubby keeps replaying that in his mind and it churns his emotions. <br />
<br />
<br />
So this brings us up to yesterday. I am recording all of this here as I print this blog off as a journal for our family and though painful, we never want to forget. <br />
<br />
Hubby and I were both so hopeful after court. Surely the judge was certain from Tallie's actions that she was primarily attached to us. And shouldn't every judge dealing with these situations understand the importance of attachment? I guess not.. Apparently they should take the foster care classes. <br />
<br />
I had nightmares all night that she would not be back. Then at 10am, those nightmares came true. I truly was in shock. I could not get a hold of my husband at work, but thankfully my mom had stopped in and I had someone to hold me up. <br />
<br />
I had to tell the kids. How horrible that they did not get a proper goodbye. We thought she would be coming back for the weekend. I weep for them. <br />
<br />
Mickey is really struggling as he is at the tender age of understanding so much yet not much experience. His heart is broken and I watch him try to cope and it is too much for this mama. I have always wondered how parents help their children through grief when they themselves are overwhelmed in grief. I am sad to say that I was not there for my children yesterday. I barely had enough presence of mind to breathe in and out. I got a text from a friend early on in the day saying she was bringing me a meal. I thought that was super nice but quite unnecessary. I was still in shock when I had gotten that text. By the time she brought me dinner, I peeled myself from the comfort of my bed, looking like the Lochness Monster and asked, "how did you know? I thought I was going to be fine. Apparently my friends know me better than I know me. <br />
<br />
I hate being out of my room as every square inch of my house is covered in reminders of Tallie. It hurts so bad to see them as my heart longs for her. But I can't bear to remove them as I can't bear to have pieces of her gone.<br />
<br />
I can't wipe off the little food splatters on her high chair. <br />
<br />
I can't return her jumperoo to my friend who lent it to me as the memory of Tallie bouncing like a crazy Tigger is so vivid.<br />
<br />
I can't wash the sheet on her crib because I can still smell her and know that she laid there. <br />
<br />
Suddenly I don't want fresh and clean. I want her.<br />
<br />
I am so upset that her little wubbanub paci (has the stuffed caterpillar on the end of it) is still at our house as I know she needs it, but I can't bear to let go of it. And her dolly she named Zsa Zsa that she would snatch up to her face and nuzzle her face. I was going to send that all along with her. I just did not know she was not coming back. I am making a box to mail, but it is so painful to put it in there, especially as I think there is a good chance her bio dad will throw it in the trash the moment he gets the package. He does not want any memories of us in her life. He does not want us at all in her life. This is so hard for me to process. My emotions, not just me--all of our emotions are on super high. Sadness, Anger, Disappointment, Frustration. I never know which one is going to pop up and render me useless. <br />
<br />
Then Hubby came home last night. Poor man, he had to bear the news at work--did not tell a single soul as he was in meetings all day, then came home to face the reality. The same is happening to him. He sadly took her half-eaten baby food jars out of the refrigerator and threw them away, his heart heavy. He found the Ping-Pong ball lodge under the chair in the living room. Just two days ago, Tallie had been giggling and chasing that thing all over the kitchen. <br />
<br />
Our home feels like a morgue. No longer a refuge. It is a place of pain. We know this is part of the process. We have heard others talk about it. We just have never felt it ourselves. Sorrow is such an oppressive and heavy feeling. I am so thankful that so many that have had deep loss in their life have come alongside us and we can see that God has restored joy in their life. We can see that Christ will keep his promise to bind up the broken-hearted as it says in Isaiah. God is using his people to bring us comfort, to share in our loss. Our friends have really recognized our loss, though it is not a death-- where we have customs in place to move along the grief process, they grieve with us and are seeing us through. Facebook-- though Social media has its downsides, has been a true blessing for us as hundreds of messages of prayers and love have been sent our way. Hubby and I read them outloud and thank God for the support. We don't feel alone. <br />
<br />
But then there is my son. I am learning so quickly about children and grief. My son and my daughter are processing it so differently. My five year old daughter repeatedly tells me she is sad and that she wants Tallie to come back. But she has joy. My eight-year old boy has pain in his eyes. He feels alone in his sadness as most talk to us about our loss but forget that our children are experiencing great pain. I am so grateful when adults (like my amazing Aunt Cindy) let him know how very sorry she was that his little sister left our home. He is grateful too. He told me he wants to be around people who can share in his loss. He tells me the people that he knows that are sad that Tallie left. He counts his friends who were "in" to Tallie and swooned over her like he did. <br />
<br />
Mickey revolted today when I went to take Tallie's car seat out of the car. "NO!", he cried. Don't take it out. I explained that we had to take it out, though it hurt my heart to do so. It feels like a rejection of her. Even though the car seat is gone, Mickey refuses to move from the back of the van to the middle row with his sister. "That's Tallie's place." Oh Lord, we need wisdom. Please grant us the wisdom to know how much to push and how much to let slide.<br />
<br />
We have received cards in the mail and Solomon is quick to note that the person addresses each family member or "family". He reads them and re-reads them. He finds solace in words. Like his mama. <br />
<br />
One of Mickey's good friends just came by and dropped off a letter to him. Mickey is out fishing with his Papa right now but I know that when he comes home and reads this letter that it will be huge for him. My heart is so grateful for the helps that Jesus sends our way. <br />
<br />
On the day that Tallie left, our family went to a family counseling appointment to learn about leading our family through grief as we were concerned with the depth of Mickey's anger and sadness.<br />
<br />
We learned so much! Wow! First, she told us that Mickey's was handling it in a very healthy way and because he was so open about his feelings with us that she felt all was well. She then told us not to teach during this time of grief. When he talks about being angry, don't give him scripture about anger. Which Hubby and I had totally been doing. She told us to affirm his feelings and let him vent. She said that when the heart is so full of emotion that teaching is ineffective and frustrating and to wait a few months when the dust has settled to go back and teach. She also told us that the children are so used to pouring their love out to Tallie and to not have a way to do that will be hard for them. She encouraged us to have them write letters often or buy little things and send them Tallie's way so that they feel like they can act on their feeling of love. Once again.. Brilliant. <br />
<br />
Another piece of advice was to have the children talk about their favorite memories of being with Tallie and to write them in a journal or scrapbook. <br />
<br />
So that is my hope with this blog. Not for readers, not even for me--though it is cathartic to have my own place to write--but for my children so that they don't have to worry about their special times slipping away to the forgotten places of their brain.<br />
<br />
My great sadness is that I don't get to help Tallie through her pain. I know she is wondering where we are. I can't even think about that without losing it. I hate it that she doesn't know that we would do anything to be with her. We learned so much in Foster Care class about the trauma of babies when they are removed from their "attachment". It is terrible. I wish that I did not know all of that now as I long to hold her and comfort and give her the security that every baby deserves. <br />
<br />
We are broken. And there is nothing to do but walk through this valley clinging to our Lord. There is no way to avoid the pain. There is no way to bypass the stages of grief. It is what it is because we are not in heaven yet where the Bible promises there will be no more tears and no more goodbyes. We are not home yet, but when we get there, what a sweet reprieve it will be to shed the sadness that life on earth can bring, and live in pure joy with our GodMouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-84770304261007733912014-01-01T19:08:00.000-08:002014-01-01T19:08:25.861-08:00Annual Christmas LetterMerry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family!<br />
<br />
2013 was a year of mind-boggling adjustments as we became licensed foster parents in January. We have experienced such an emotional roller-coaster as a family in this position. We are not permitted to write on the world wide web about these children specifically or post any pictures; hence blog-writing has come to a halt. Summing up our thoughts on our family involved in foster care is this: Though heart-breaking it is, we would not trade the moments of opportunity we had/have to pour out our and the Father's love on these little ones. Being able to teach an eight year old to ride a bike and swim and learning how to style a three year old's afro have been priceless. (picture me standing in Target in the ethnic hair aisle feeling very overwhelmed) <br />
<br />
Our children (code names Mickey and Minnie) have grown in so many areas as they have served in the foster care role. We had only a few days notice for a newborn to arrive in our home and Mickey and Minnie have loved learning all about taking care of a teensy baby! We have been so thankful for the love of family and friends who generously help out with our new family additions. <br />
<br />
Highlights of this year:<br />
<br />
~Taking our kiddos skiing for the first time! They LOVED it!<br />
<br />
~ Visiting the Ringger family in Detroit, going to the Science Museum. My favorite was being able to hold a real human brain!<br />
<br />
~ Travelling to Omaha, Nebraska for a home school conference, staying with the Hunts (friend from high school days) and getting to go to the Art museum and zoo<br />
<br />
~ a relaxing family vacation at Lake Michigan where we did nothing but play on the beach and eat ice cream.<br />
<br />
~ celebrated Great Grandma Zaugg's birthday in West Bend with lots of family<br />
<br />
~ welcomed a new niece Wren!<br />
<br />
~ Lake Michigan weekend with our Fort Wayne couple friends<br />
<br />
~ Bed and Breakfast weekend with the Hubby's side of the family celebrating Christmas<br />
<br />
~ Hubby had the opportunity to travel to S. Korea and China for business.<br />
<br />
Hubby is still at Federal Mogul, I am still home-educating. Minnie is in Pre-K and Mickey is in 2nd grade. We are so grateful for our health and have joy in our salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord! <br />
<br />
May you and your family have a blessed year and draw closer to our Creator! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-86158255451530282602013-02-03T22:47:00.001-08:002013-02-03T22:47:27.257-08:00It's TIME!!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Recently I did a book review for this book below on this blog. Let's just say, I am a believer and cannot wait for mom's around the globe to be able to get their hands on this! I truly think Jill's words will transform many lives with the power of God's Truths! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am promoting this book so wildly because I signed up to be on the launch team for this book because I BELIEVE in the principles of this book and see the quest for perfection destroying the joy that God has intended for us! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Go to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/No-More-Perfect-Moms-Learn/dp/0802406378/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359960293&sr=8-1&keywords=no+more+perfect+moms">Amazon.com </a>and read the reviews~ </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Then add about 30 to your cart and give them for gift to every mom you see! (heehee)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
click on the picture below to see how to get AMAZING resources after purchasing this book!!!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.hearts-at-home.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1832&Itemid=381"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNA_zuxu-nfMac_XNA0IjaXFMlgaIG0kDDMD0AWaj0XyFVzNbMjwCWMP_ejxYv49ZCDw-9PawZdESI1Tq-Trgwb3I4rujwPlfQQq-TFol9Ayz6A95hilsJu-fOIo1ePamKOqIyoDkLyKBN/s640/Buy-the-Book-Feb-3-9+(1).jpg" width="470" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-64399886511876049642013-01-19T14:53:00.002-08:002013-01-19T14:53:27.715-08:00The Lord's PrayerMinnie set out to memorize the Lord's Prayer:<br />
<br />
"Our fathers who aren't in heaven".....<br />
<br />
So precious is her little voice and I just had to giggle at her sweet way. I mean who can really expect a four year old to think that "art" would go in that sentence!?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-28066734012044780602013-01-13T22:05:00.002-08:002013-01-13T22:06:08.149-08:00No More Perfect Moms<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0MHytqKbtedqEKwHC9ZjryC5IV9wRKVc2W_Dkh-3CqjwtB0FWnZ2icVIxsyiWI2vwrNQLYEqzAo8-OciMB7S059WUIIezaAnQMA_Giu5RzP7p2I8BwcPkYvWBFa_u7k6JGrtHDkmfbEA/s320/no+more+perfect+moms.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="235" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Click <a href="http://www.hearts-at-home.org/index.php/nmpm-about/nmpm-email">here</a> to sign up!!!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was <i>very</i> <b>intimidated </b>to become a mother. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This comes as a surprise to most people as I had been a nanny for four years prior to marrying Hubby. Hubby tried to convince me that I would be a wonderful mom. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> I tried to convince him that I would not. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It is not that I did not want children. It is just that I did not want to fail and I was certain failure was impending. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I tried to convince my husband <span style="color: #a64d79;">"Being a nanny was a breeze! My only responsibility was to keep the little boy safe and have fun with him plus I got nights and weekends off (not to mention a paycheck!) ! Being a mom means running a household, PTA bakesales, and making real meals! I will never excel at any of that, you know me! I can never be like Jenny, Deb, Jane!" </span> (three moms in our church that I really admire)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Hubby spoke words to me that have stuck with me for a decade now. "<span style="color: #351c75;">oh Honey" You are <b>not </b>them! But you are taking the very best of their gifts and comparing yourself to Jenny's creativity, Deb's cooking and Jane's organization! You can never be the best at everything. God gave them each gifts and he gave YOU incredible gifts as well! Embrace who God made you!"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Now just stop right there. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Lest you think that I married a man who walks around speaking words of affirmation to me left and right.. you are quite wrong. But his wise words did pierce my heart and begin to change how I viewed myself. I knew that I needed to see myself through God's eyes and not in the shadow of the people around me. After all He created me, He clearly had a plan and purpose for me!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So you can IMAGINE how thrilled I was to become part of Jill Savage's launch team for her new book entitled <u>No More Perfect Moms!</u> I have been devouring the book and cannot wait for its release in a few weeks because I want to be able to share it with the world!!! I LOVE the notion that we all stop putting on a facade and accept each other as imperfect mothers!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">âWe
need courage to be honest with ourselves that perfection is impossible. We need
to cut ourselves some slack. See ourselves through eyes of grace. Love
ourselves⌠Imperfections included.â âJill Savage, NO MORE PERFECT
MOMS </span></strong></em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><strong><br /></strong></em></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>One of the best bible study nights took place last Spring. There was a snowstorm so it was only a few moms that could come--a much smaller group than normal. </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>And it got real. </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>One mom just dropped her mask and laid out her heart, <span style="color: #741b47;">" It is so hard getting all the kids ready in the morning. I get to work and I realize that I have been rushing, and yelling at my children and that is all they see of me anymore... an angry stressed- out mom .. I am so ashamed. "</span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>And then it was beautiful.</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>The masks all dropped off and all the moms were sharing about their failures, and comforting each other. </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br />Several times I heard the other moms say, "<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I had no idea other moms felt the same way I did. I thought I was the only one. I had so much guilt" </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>That evening could have turned out VERY differently.</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Suppose someone with a critical spirit would have condemned her. </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>We have all been that person at one point or another... whether in our hearts or verbally and have haughtily made someone feel lower.</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Jill addresses how to combat our natural judgement inclination and throughout her book, she has loads of applicable and practical insight that help in areas that we are struggling. </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">In closing, I would like to share two things with you in the spirit of being real!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Many months ago, I was frantically getting my house company ready. I needed to spend my time with the big things.. like food prep and general housecleaning. I could not be bothered with the little bits of things that had morphed into piles. So took a shoebox around the house and scooted those little things into the box and put it in my closet. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The next week I cleaned out my car and filled another little box full of things that needed dealt with but did not have the time. This clearly became an addictive way of speed cleaning for me and I acquired several little storage boxes of "things that need to be dealt with". </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I have <b>NOW</b> put them all in one box and in SIGHT in my bedroom so I will be forced to deal with these annoying things. It turns out that it was quite an amount once I put all those little stashes together. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So here it is. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSctW9fq9OdpSOwwCIWB4yXoiYNy-PrkI6ULixJRhACJaU8G4xqw1Yr6ofWn33NkWKcOJ20EBvyQc1FL69P0RqKdHtg7FMX_TxIccVT2IdZIs1rvjocDi74b74rDz2gR-vaDzOvbuys2nJ/s1600/IMG_3063.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSctW9fq9OdpSOwwCIWB4yXoiYNy-PrkI6ULixJRhACJaU8G4xqw1Yr6ofWn33NkWKcOJ20EBvyQc1FL69P0RqKdHtg7FMX_TxIccVT2IdZIs1rvjocDi74b74rDz2gR-vaDzOvbuys2nJ/s640/IMG_3063.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
Sigh. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, I am organizationally challenged. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But I have come to learn that even organizational wizards have their shortcomings as well! One of my closest friends is a neat freak and anytime I feel intimidated by her.. I remind myself that she forgot to brush her children's teeth for an entire summer!!! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Anyone out there want to join me in tearing down the walls of shame in Motherhood? Click <a href="http://www.hearts-at-home.org/index.php/nmpm-about/nmpm-about-3">Here</a> for the link to find out info about this amazing book entitled <u>No More Perfect Moms </u>by Jill Savage. </span></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: CENTER;">
</div>
Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-55036561574613845432012-12-31T10:09:00.000-08:002012-12-31T10:09:56.898-08:002012 Christmas LetterMerry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!<br />
<br />
I love this time of year when cards and family pictures flood my mailbox. Sweet memories of each family flood my heart and I am so thankful for the presence of all of you in my life! Our children are at the age where they are so curious about the families that send pictures and they are aghast when they do not know most of them! "Who are these people and HOW do you know them!" <br />
<br />
That always makes Hubby and I giggle as our kiddos cannot comprehend that we had a life before they entered our world. <br />
<br />
Here are some of the 2012 Highlights:<br />
<br />
<br />
~ Our family entered a new phase with my niece Lauren getting married to Elliott Laughlin this fall! Mickey and Minnie were part of the wedding as ring-bearer and flower-girl. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW079b8on0FrKXG9P49nF-pFDDHTBIQAYG7d7Hw0hvk9wxM90R5wtOvNmWKQfymZ-bvIVdJuiB1hkx_HrbgZc7tpQQA13rMgZxSWZpOCXifFEl6ZLdOdLgInYHHPY0Kq4PEUYGNxsmeWFT/s1600/solomon+and+maylen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW079b8on0FrKXG9P49nF-pFDDHTBIQAYG7d7Hw0hvk9wxM90R5wtOvNmWKQfymZ-bvIVdJuiB1hkx_HrbgZc7tpQQA13rMgZxSWZpOCXifFEl6ZLdOdLgInYHHPY0Kq4PEUYGNxsmeWFT/s640/solomon+and+maylen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
~We spent a few nights at Lake Michigan enjoying God's beautiful creation prior to the wedding...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfOOJfkfohumRp9_23WKp59HIdXRHYEXmx3T2HZ5haK6GI71tgxwTKz2apBmMMfbdEfbda_RHTelaK6GRf6XoaP9x3OSBcjJXhWCn68vTS8n6aeBRSCnUI1SGhNzrAUxfgtDw6jM_RHk1/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfOOJfkfohumRp9_23WKp59HIdXRHYEXmx3T2HZ5haK6GI71tgxwTKz2apBmMMfbdEfbda_RHTelaK6GRf6XoaP9x3OSBcjJXhWCn68vTS8n6aeBRSCnUI1SGhNzrAUxfgtDw6jM_RHk1/s640/beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
~We celebrated Hubby's parents' 40th anniversary all together for a fun time at Mark Twain Landing.<br />
<br />
~ We welcomed TWO baby nieces on Hubby's side of the family! This was very exciting for Minnie as she was formerly the lone little-girl cousin.<br />
<br />
~ Mickey is dual-enrolled for first grade. Home-educated for most subjects, but attends school for music, art, PE and recess. Minnie enjoys preschool, especially her beloved teachers. <br />
<br />
~ Hubby accepted a job at Federal Mogul in Burlington and is quite happy to have a much shorter commute. (although he admits he misses the extended quiet times that he used to have in the car!)<br />
<br />
~I (Mouseymom) love being Mickey's teacher! In the summer, we spent most days at the pool surrounded by our wonderful community full of friends! I have made the decision to close my little cottage business "Frills and Flowers". After three years of having a fabulous creative outlet (and a massive mess of tulle, flowers and bling in our guestroom), I need to have more time allotted to my other responsibilities. <br />
<br />
~ Hubby and I have completed Foster Care classes and will become licensed in the next few weeks. We are looking forward to see what God has in store for our family!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnN2jNg-XtuwP59kqEKjLS23aINAGfTBNnTCxnkKSkCxmwxTiN1Zn_GTmnPxHlIF9kud0QFYolbumZCDQJ3XPmZ-nEIcMM_TMHWtUl0TAnHBJdn1OpicIM9OQZ9IbdfpmIraRfl3Noghj/s1600/1-family+Christmas+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnN2jNg-XtuwP59kqEKjLS23aINAGfTBNnTCxnkKSkCxmwxTiN1Zn_GTmnPxHlIF9kud0QFYolbumZCDQJ3XPmZ-nEIcMM_TMHWtUl0TAnHBJdn1OpicIM9OQZ9IbdfpmIraRfl3Noghj/s640/1-family+Christmas+pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
We are grateful for God's Blessings! He has solved our biggest dilemma~ providing a payment for our sin so we can have eternal life! We are joyful and desire to honor God with our gifts He has given us. <br />
<br />
Happy New Year!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-16502865040583530202012-12-10T07:29:00.003-08:002012-12-10T07:29:55.416-08:00Online Homeschool Curriculum ReviewI had received an email asking if I would like to preview an online homeschool curriculum for free for one month in exchange for an honest review on my blog. Well, I like free, and I like honest, so I took the bait and delved in. <br />
<br />
I loved it! The kids loved it! It was a blast! Mickey tried out the first grade curriculum and Minnie tried out the preschool curriculum. Let's just say that I was wishing I had two computers as they both would beg to do their "schooling"! So guess what? I figured out that it was even EASIER on the Kindle Fire with a touch screen! Now both kids can learn at the same time!!!<br />
<br />
I had thought that online schooling would erase "mom" from the equation. Turns out, Mouseymom LOVED cuddling up to her kids with a steamy cup of coffee as we learned together! Every lesson is like a game, with a goal. The Mousekins were very entertained with the graphics. The great thing is that learning took place within all the fun.. making learning a blast. That is a goal of mine--to instill the love of learning within my children. I feel that doing this curriculum freed me up to have more time to read out loud to my mousekins, play games, and spiritual teaching. So would I recommend <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/">http://www.time4learning.com</a>/? A resounding yes! <br />
<br />
Pricing? There is a low monthly fee (prices vary) but very reasonable. For those wanting to try it out, you Time4Learning does give an initial two week money back guarantee.. <br />
<br />
This review is written by me, Mouseymom. I was given compensation in the form of one free month trial of <a href="http://www.time4learning.com./">www.time4learning.com.</a> The views expressed in this review are my honest opinion! Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-62108040465733380352012-11-08T07:52:00.001-08:002012-11-08T07:52:59.983-08:00For a Free Trial... SURE!<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I've been invited to try Time4Learning's </span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/education/curriculum_overview.shtml?ref=Review+Referring" style="background-color: white; color: #0084f7; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline-style: none;" target="_blank">online education program</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> in exchange for an honest review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so come back and read about my experience! For more information, try their </span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/demos.html?ref=Review+Referring" style="background-color: white; color: #0084f7; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline-style: none;" target="_blank">lesson demos</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> or find out how to write your own </span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum-review.shtml?ref=Review+Referring" style="background-color: white; color: #0084f7; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; outline-style: none;" target="_blank">curriculum review</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">.</span>Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-22477532701005409002012-11-05T10:25:00.001-08:002012-11-05T10:25:14.599-08:00I Am INNOCENT! I PROMISE!<br />
This morning the both kiddos woke up super early to see their daddy off to work. Minnie was so dazed and not quite awake. She was sitting on my lap in a chair wrapped in her favorite blanket. When Hubby left for work, I said to her, "Want to go snuggle back in my bed?"<br />
<br />
She eyed me suspiciously and said in a slow uncertain voice, "Who is Buck?" <br />
<br />
It took me a second to realize that she thought I had asked, "Want to go snuggle Buck in my bed?"<br />
<br />
I assured her there was no one named Buck in my bedroom, but she was still a little nervous to go back there with me! <br />
<br />
I have been so amused all morning by this!<br />
Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-53052057841302509452012-08-24T18:41:00.001-07:002012-08-24T18:43:29.748-07:00Dino-Style!<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLEIyQB3rG6zGAsyF5_1-ElGaWeReoiYqDuJBvtDdFXsn3wi-7_d9U1geCSIvulqOKE58hB21SYAn8E_AJO7JH1PYxs7EFyRvJ3eO4EdCBittzCgnjlZv7JG9Jfa8xQzSjB4gPwDuOT0G/s1600/IMG_0088.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="617" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLEIyQB3rG6zGAsyF5_1-ElGaWeReoiYqDuJBvtDdFXsn3wi-7_d9U1geCSIvulqOKE58hB21SYAn8E_AJO7JH1PYxs7EFyRvJ3eO4EdCBittzCgnjlZv7JG9Jfa8xQzSjB4gPwDuOT0G/s400/IMG_0088.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
This is Minnie and her friend Zack! They are friends by default. Their older brothers are really good friends, so Minnie and Zack end up spending lots of time together. They love to play house and generally have a good marriage.<br />
<br />
I think everytime they are together.. they end up in dinosaur costumes. It has become a ritual.<br />
<br />
This time when they came up to show off their costumes to their mamas, we got a good laugh! Minnie had placed a royal PINK crown atop her fierce dinosaur head (albeit a bit lopsided by the time I grabbed my camera). And this is SOOO Minnie--she likes to be rough and tumble with a bit of glam! <br />
<br />
Also--this dinosaur costume that Minnie is wearing is for a 12 month old. That never stops her or Zack from squeeeeeazing into it!<br />
<br />
I was hoping you wouldn't notice, but I would be amiss to not mention the unfortunate baby doll tethered and hanging upside-down precariously.</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: CENTER;">
<a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>
Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-5559652068758637802012-08-22T19:16:00.001-07:002012-08-23T20:05:52.055-07:00Buddies!<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0qBQOA3BfbSbR4pbkkPND3B3Gp_YDSbl96blByXdw1e9dnciHK2dAqWyfGZ-dJbSrIgnPhyphenhyphenhM5OfzfOPSz7E1CUZbh-mIkSs17bOWdO30oUT5FwgwI9EiOU6iYI4VPOelUQOmbn_Acvb/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0qBQOA3BfbSbR4pbkkPND3B3Gp_YDSbl96blByXdw1e9dnciHK2dAqWyfGZ-dJbSrIgnPhyphenhyphenhM5OfzfOPSz7E1CUZbh-mIkSs17bOWdO30oUT5FwgwI9EiOU6iYI4VPOelUQOmbn_Acvb/s640/IMG_0073.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
If you want to be Mickey's best buddy....<br />
<br />
Lose yourself in a bin of Legos.<br />
<br />
Or better yet, offer to be the finder as he voraciously builds and creates! <br />
<br />
Papa is Mickey's buddy! </div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: CENTER;">
</div>
Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-40953370205918328342012-08-19T19:44:00.000-07:002012-08-19T19:44:03.584-07:00Just a Glimpse into a Day...I never write letters anymore. It is sad. I miss receiving letters in the mail. I jot quick emails and post bitty messages on Facebook walls, but I don't write to people. It is truly a loss in this modern age. However, I have a friend that lives very far away in the jungle, dedicating her life to translating the Scripture into the Akolet language so that the new believers can have His Word! Did I mention they have a new baby? Anyway, I received an update from them.. whilst they are dealing with Malaria and translating hunks of scripture every day (feeling like my major accomplishment of folding a few baskets of laundry is a bit pithy now) and I know it is important as supporters to not only pray for them, but to include them in our lives. I have learned from missionary friends that feeling isolated is a tool that Satan uses to discourage them. <br />
<br />
I had no breaking news to share, so I just started writing about the random events of life here. And since I had it written, I decided to include an excerpt in my blog as these stories get printed off into a book each year and capture a small slice of our life....<br />
<br />
Keep in mind that this letter is written to a close friend.. I knew she would be amused by the mishaps. Nothing makes the stress of Malaria lessen like laughing at your own friends misfortunes! That is the goal!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: purple;">I had a bottle of Elephantastic Pink that I had been<br /> unable to use due to
the lid being stuck on tightly. So I tapped it on my<br /> bathroom counter to
loosen the paint in the lid. Although I have done this<br /> hundreds of times,
this particular time I shatted the bottle and<br /> Elephantastic Pink sprayed all
over our bathroom.<br />This did not deter me. I really wanted this color on
my toes. So after I<br /> cleaned up the mess, I dipped the brush in the bottom
shard of the bottle<br /> and proceeded to paint. and yes, my toes look
stunning. thank you for<br /> asking<br />to continue on with mess-making
stories.. let me tell you about a recent one<br /> as well!<br />scenario:
tricia frantically packing for a trip to see sister and fam. the<br /> goal was
to be all packed before Nick got home from work so we could all<br /> jump in the
van and go. I was doing good on time.. I had the kiddos folding<br /> clothes
when, BAM--chaos ensues.. Screaming, Running, Blood.<br />My eyes dart from
one kid to the other. Solomon looked suspicous as he had<br /> donned a brown
satin shirt of mine over his clothes, and Maylen had blood<br /> gushing from her
nose. The explanation? Solomon was folding my shirt when<br /> he decided that
it looked like something a Ninja would wear. So he put it<br /> on and modeled
it for Maylen. She was so impressed and told him that he<br /> looked like a
Karate master. That inspired Solomon and he apparently<br /> whisked his foot
high in the air to try out the roundhouse kick. Apparently<br /> Maylen's nose
got in the way.<br />Once I ascertained that Maylen was not permanently
maimed, I began dealing<br /> with the real issue... bright red blood on ivory
carpet. Then I followed<br /> the trail of blood down the hall, through the
kitchen where I saw that blood<br /> was splattered all over our new (sob sob)
carpet in the living room and all<br /> over the massive heap of clean laundry.
It looked like a crime scene.<br /><br />All is well now, and no, I was not
ready when Nick got home.. but he was<br /> quite understanding when i relayed the
story to him. His comment was this,<br /> "NO! NOT THE NEW CARPET!" that's the
problem with new things.. it's so<br /> devastating when they get wrecked.</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Yes, these are the little daily events that make up life! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And so I challenge you! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Go to your refrigerator (or wherever you keep the pictures of the missionaries you support), and pick out a missionary that would love a little insight into the daily fun in your life! Or maybe your grandma, or an aunt! Wouldn't it be fun to send an old fashioned letter for NO Reason!! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How delightful! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I know there is a lot of people in my life who have no idea how much I value their presence in my life as I don't think about expressing it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope to change that! </div>
Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400535520690929439.post-49289396540207898142012-08-15T10:21:00.001-07:002012-08-15T10:21:43.118-07:00The Mousekins<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7wOM3FoVIdwpnCmSyPTF3G0yEhn0XFnWoDNlha1Jvg-wk1RgrN4CZq01J9A8nqcclQi-7KL90_YJMohBDG5J5tSETzFqi0eTClNzZiXYommJ1bnxxVZJZTZbGWaifobl75SST0Xm1WH9/s1600/studio+k+kiddos.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7wOM3FoVIdwpnCmSyPTF3G0yEhn0XFnWoDNlha1Jvg-wk1RgrN4CZq01J9A8nqcclQi-7KL90_YJMohBDG5J5tSETzFqi0eTClNzZiXYommJ1bnxxVZJZTZbGWaifobl75SST0Xm1WH9/s400/studio+k+kiddos.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Love this from our recent photography session with Studio K in Mount Pleasant. It captures the essence of our kiddos. The big brother that lords over his little sister, and the little sis that has plenty of sass to stand up to him. <br />
<br />
The Best of Friends<br />
The Worst of Enemies<br />
<br />
Oh how I adore our never-a-dull-moment Mousekins!</div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Mouseymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02279261787651337518noreply@blogger.com2