Life with Noel

I love having a 5 year-old.

Honestly, I feel like I deal much better with a child at this age than with a newborn.  I was not a good newborn mom.  But one thing I was not prepared for in having a 5 year-old is all of the questions.

From the minute Noel wakes up until we leave his room at night, his words are filled with questions.

Why do we have earwax?


What makes warts?


Why do we whisper before we go to bed when nobody's asleep yet?


Why do they use the 5 rings for the Olympics? What do they mean?


Why do you and Daddy keep getting older, but not any taller?

This goes on.  For hours.  Every day.

I love it and it drives me crazy all at once.

Noel is such a curious little boy, and he knows it.  He wants to know how everything works and why everything happens.  I love that about him.  But sometimes it makes my brain cramp up from working on answers.

Noel definitely keeps me on my toes, and that is good for this old brain.  I hope that he keeps this curious spirit his whole life, never stops wondering and asking.

What traits do your children have that you hope they keep forever?

Thankful Thursdays

I am sitting here in the house we are about to sell (#591), getting things ready for closing on our new house (#592) while my children play Where's My Perry on the Kindle (#593 & 594).  It's been a crazy busy week, thanks to VBS (#595--but not sure if we'll ever do it again!) and fun afternoons filled with library time (#596), adventures in the park (#597), and swimming with friends (#598). Also, I started my new work at The Crossing, (#599), which is an alternative high school for students who have previously struggled in school for various reasons.  I'm excited about working there and what God has planned through that.  We are still recovering from the party on the farm (#600) to celebrate my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary, where my kids and all of their cousins answered the question:  Does riding a four-wheeler ever get old?  (The answer is no, if you're wondering).

What are you thankful for???

Without a hitch

David turned 40 on Thursday.  If you know my husband at all, you know that he does not like lots of attention.  He likes being with a few friends or family members and doing fun stuff like golfing or playing basketball.  But I wanted to do something special for him.

Well, hello, Pinterest idea. I think I will finally use you!

I took an idea from Pinterest to celebrate this special day.  Instead of a party, I asked people to send letters to me to give to David.  I was a little nervous how it would all turn out, because people don't really write letters very much anymore (one of our nephews ended his letter with ". . .and I think this is the first letter I've written in like 5 years. . .)

But the letters came in.

From family

from friends

from co-workers

from former youth group students.

It was perfect.

We got up  Thursday morning (David's birthday) and packed to go to the farm for his parents' 50th anniversary party.  I drove so he could read the letters. I wish I could have taken pictures of his face as he read letter after letter (43 in all).  He was so shocked, touched, and excited that so many people took the time to write him.

Some were hilarious, and some were tear jerkers.  David's brother, Mike, wrote down a bunch of stories from their childhood that involved manure spreaders, swamps, dangerous 3-wheelers, etc. Dave's high school friends also shared stories of their adventures back in the day.  Our friend Phil included pictures from over the years to really take us down memory lane.

The common theme throughout the letters was that David is so special to all of them.  He may not be the most outspoken guy or have an over-the-top personality, but that is what makes him so special.  He has a quiet strength, a quick wit, a wise mind, and people have been changed because of it. When the group returned from Haiti, several of the people on the trip said to me how much his words meant at different points during the trip, and I was so glad that I got to share him with others.

If there is someone in your life who has made a difference for you, let them know!  Write a letter, call, whatever you need to do, but tell them.

Oh, yeah, I have a blog

Oops!

We are in moving limbo right now.  The scheduled closing on both houses (which was supposed to be last Friday--the 13th) got postponed.  There was some oversight from the lender of the person buying our house, and it all fell thru.

So, while we are not quite back to square one, it is a huge step in the other direction.

Not selling our house means some changes with the loan on the house we are trying to buy ourselves.  Pluse we are going to be out of town for a few days (please don't rob us!), so closing is just some mirage out in the distance that I can see but can never quite touch.

Meanwhile, half of our things are already in boxes.  I went to pour my coffee this morning, and realized I didn't have any coffee mugs because I had packed all but 2, and they were in the dishwasher!  My only hope is that we get into our new house before we need warm clothes, cause they are boxed, taped, and stacked right now.

So, while we anxiously wait for our new "home", we just enjoy every day we have in the place we have called home all these years.  Noel says he will miss eating popsicles on the front porch.  Elise will miss the sidewalk that she can dance on.  I will miss the people watching :)

And maybe we'll end up with a summer home after all. . .it just may be this one!  Ha!

Nadine Update

Several months ago, maybe even a year, I started writing about Nadine.  Nadine is a young lady I met on my trip to Peredo, Haiti.  She had a huge growth, which made her look nine months pregnant.  Because of this, she was basically an outcast in her village.  Her mother didn't want her to go to school.  She had minimal contact with the other children.  

But over the course of this past year, my friend Ginny, along with countless others, have worked to get her the medical help she needs.  Now she is living in Columbus, Ohio with an amazing family, the Tatas.  Her medical procedures have been long and tedious (lots of draining and dealing with blood pressure issues), but Sheree (her host mother) says Nadine has been incredibly brave and positive.  Sheree says she is a member of their family.

Last week, David went with a group of students and adults from our church to Nadine's village.  As I was sticking pictures of the kids in his backpack, I had the quick thought to throw in some pictures of Nadine here in the states, happy and healthy.  

I'm so thankful I did.

The top picture of the post is David with Nadine's mom and brother.  David was able to share with them the pictures and explain that she is doing very well.  He said Nadine's mom kept putting her hand on her heart and saying "Mesi, mesi" (thank you).  She even blew him a kiss when he left.

A trip to Haiti can be overwhelming.  There is so much chaos and heartache.  It's hard to even wrap your mind around where to begin. 

But God is bigger.

And we do what we can.  One soul at a time.

There are sometimes questions about why people go on short term missions trips.  And I do believe that some trips are not always handled correctly (ie. they are more work than help for the long-term missionaries).  But as I look at Nadine and know that if we had not gone to Haiti, we would probably not be a part of this plan  God had for her, I cannot help but be overwhelmed again, but this time with thankfulness and joy.

What can I do today that will make a difference in someone' life for God?  That should be our question every day.  Everywhere.  Every. Time.

Thursday Thank Yous. . .on Friday

This week I am thankful for. . .

581. air conditioning.

582. the city pool.

583. friends and family who check in on us while David is away.

584. closing the house we are buying and our own house ON THE SAME DAY NEXT WEEK!  And to think I had fretted!

585. hearts that are broken by the things that break God's heart

586. the first zucchini out of the garden.

587. WiFi, even in Haiti, so I can get an email or 2 from him while he's gone.

588. Redbox.

589. slushies.

590. old friends whom you can completely be yourself around.

What are you thankful for?

Slowing Down/Speeding Up

It's Thursday.

(Sigh)

David's been gone since last Friday night.

We've had a lot of fun, but we are ready for him to come home.

Every time I've ever gone on a missions trip, the first few days seem to go really slowly, and then the last 2 days fly by.

Every time I've stayed home while my husband has been gone, the first part seems to fly by, and the last few days before he gets home come to a screeching halt.

So that's where we are.

We have some fun things planned, and hope that the weather will cooperate.  And we had a really good time celebrating Independence Day with friends last night.  I even broke down and let the kids stay up to watch fireworks, which is something I haven't done ever with my kids.  I kept trying to convince them, "See?  Sometimes Mom can be fun!!"  (After 2 days of yelling at them and being completely grumpy and impatient.  I'm sure it worked beautifully.)

I used to make comments when David was gone about how I was being a "single" parent, or that now I know what it feels like to be a single parent.  But I read an article once from a real single parent, and I realize that my husband being away for a week is so far removed from being a single parent that I will never say that again.  There is such a huge difference between missing my husband because he's out of the country for a short time and missing my husband because a)he left for good b)he was never around to begin with c) he is gone for months at a time.  Perspective is a hard pill to swallow sometimes.

So, while these last 3 days creep along, we will try to enjoy every moment of the days we are given (even if they are face-melting hot), and try to focus on the good stuff.

Halfway there

Tonight (Tuesday) is the halfway point of David's trip to Haiti.  Sunday after church we loaded up the old Honda Van and headed to my old alma mater:  Lincoln Christian College University (I'm not sure I'll ever be able to call it that.). My dear friend Jenni was there with her kids, and we hung out with them until Tuesday morning.

Some highlights:

*Watching the four kids play together.  They ran, rode bikes, walked trails, played with Legos, and became masters at hide and seek.

*Catching up with Matt and Jenni.  I miss them terribly, and it was so nice to have 2 full days to spend together.

*Not having to be alone with the kids for a few days.

But I'm not gonna sugar coat it:  some of it was been bad.  It is incredibly tiring to travel with two little ones alone.  There were some tears (mostly mine) and some screaming (mostly the kids).  But we headed home today, and are getting ready to go to bed (I'm hoping I won't fall asleep while reading bedtime stories, I'm so tired.  Could it be the combo of staying up past 1AM with Matt and Jenni and waking up at 6:45 AM to 2 children right in my face?  Probably.).

I am praying that tomorrow is a better day.  A day where I see my kids as the true blessings they are.