Just in case I don't blog again, I wanted to get that out there!! We leave for vacation Monday; that gives me 3 full days to get it all done. With God's grace I'll be sure to accomplish all the necessary things. The van has been checked out and is running well. The laundry is caught up, the frig is bare; so we're well on our way.
Saturday the girls have their dress rehearsal--the show is Sunday night. After the practice the whole family goes to the church staff party for the afternoon. Sunday will be busy with church and then the performance. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Supper is almost ready and William should be on his way home. We're both exhausted from several crazy busy weeks. We sleep good at night. The sweet smell of vacation entices us to keep pressing forward.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
No more sawdust in the eye.
Julian solved the problem. There is no was she was letting sawdust get into her eyes this time around.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving
We hope that you get to enjoy family and feast.
The turkey is in the oven and the family is still sleeping. The house is quiet, the house is messy. We'll spend Thanksgiving with the 5 of us; so a quick tidy will be all it takes. We've varied our menu this year, as in years past. William wanted prime rib and there were votes for turkey as well. So mommy bought both and will joyfully cook each one.
We're pleased to say that everyone is healthy and thriving. The weather has allowed us much outdoor time. We even had some (Florida style) "freezing weather". At least to the children. I folded laundry and noticed some clothing I hadn't seen in many months. Am amazed that it still fit.
Last weekend I went to Leesburg for a conference. This allowed me time to get to know my new co-workers better. We had a splendid weekend with little rest, lots of laughs and learned some work pointers along the way.
That Saturday William and the children delivered our church's contribution to the Samaritan's Purse project. Over 250 shoe boxes were dropped off to be delivered to needy children around the world. Our donation was small in comparison to the millions that will be delivered; but the experience was huge in the hearts of my children. Our exchange student Daniel is teaching in Ecuador now. We marvel at the idea that some of his students may end up with boxes we donated.
My classroom has been stripped of Thanksgiving/Fall decorations and I am now preparing the Christmas decorations to adorn those same walls. On the other side, we won't be decorating the house as we'll be traveling for Christmas. This allows our kitten at least one Christmas in the house without being kicked out for toppling the Christmas tree. Hopefully next year she'll have outgrown the interest of tree climbing.
The children are waking, the quiet is gone, YEAH, so let's put too many people in the kitchen and start the cooking. I'm ready, willing and eager.
May your blessings be many and may you recognize each and every one of them!! God Bless
The turkey is in the oven and the family is still sleeping. The house is quiet, the house is messy. We'll spend Thanksgiving with the 5 of us; so a quick tidy will be all it takes. We've varied our menu this year, as in years past. William wanted prime rib and there were votes for turkey as well. So mommy bought both and will joyfully cook each one.
We're pleased to say that everyone is healthy and thriving. The weather has allowed us much outdoor time. We even had some (Florida style) "freezing weather". At least to the children. I folded laundry and noticed some clothing I hadn't seen in many months. Am amazed that it still fit.
Last weekend I went to Leesburg for a conference. This allowed me time to get to know my new co-workers better. We had a splendid weekend with little rest, lots of laughs and learned some work pointers along the way.
That Saturday William and the children delivered our church's contribution to the Samaritan's Purse project. Over 250 shoe boxes were dropped off to be delivered to needy children around the world. Our donation was small in comparison to the millions that will be delivered; but the experience was huge in the hearts of my children. Our exchange student Daniel is teaching in Ecuador now. We marvel at the idea that some of his students may end up with boxes we donated.
My classroom has been stripped of Thanksgiving/Fall decorations and I am now preparing the Christmas decorations to adorn those same walls. On the other side, we won't be decorating the house as we'll be traveling for Christmas. This allows our kitten at least one Christmas in the house without being kicked out for toppling the Christmas tree. Hopefully next year she'll have outgrown the interest of tree climbing.
The children are waking, the quiet is gone, YEAH, so let's put too many people in the kitchen and start the cooking. I'm ready, willing and eager.
May your blessings be many and may you recognize each and every one of them!! God Bless
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Julian turns 7
And the chicken pox are long forgotten.
Wednesday was Julian's birthday; 7 on the seventh. Her party was yesterday and as with her older siblings she donated her gifts to Operation Christmas Child. William and I were elated that the turn in day for the shoe boxes is tomorrow. For Chace's birthday we held onto the boxes for over 6 months. For Jessica's we only had to leave them at the house for 2 months.
Julian's party was very nice and just what she wanted. We met at a local park that isn't big but is the only one we know of with a teeter totter. A four (plus) seater at that! She wanted to sew or do crafts for her party. We decided to make pillows out of fleece. Brownies were her request and with blue frosting. The weather was gorgeous, we really couldn't have been blessed with a better day. And everyone had someone to hang with. Well Jessica got to play with 2 year old John and she had fun with him, but everyone else was able to play with someone their own age. Four of the girls had older brothers and all that entertainment took was a baseball or a football and they were content. Some of the dad's played with them throughout the event as well. Then the moms had the moms to chat with. Two other mom's were on trips so William had several dad's to hang out with. On the ride home Julian exclaimed, "This was my best birthday party ever!"
Our vacation dates have been planned and I believe are set. We leave South Florida on December 17 and return the following year. Most of our time will be spent in Virginia and then we'll visit GA part of the time too. I think the girls are set but I'll definitely have to do some clothes shopping for Chace. He is too tall for all of his jeans and the boy loves his jeans. We've got mittens and hats a plenty and the children will be so excited to get to use them. A jacket or two might have to be purchased as well.
We've had a full week of cooler weather and we've loved every moment. Typically we have a day or two relief from the heat so we're grateful for these last 7 days. The windows have been open and the air conditioner off. Awesome. I've heard the girls use the word freezing quite loosely. Wait until they get to Virginia.
Today is the car clinic for our Grand Prix race cars. We get together with fellow AWANA children and families at a friends house for the children to work on their pine wood derby cars. Last year William took the children and I went to an event with Sonja. During my event I received several calls as one by one the children (MY children) were getting injured. This year I'm going with the rest of the family in hopes that we don't have a repeat year. I don't blame my husband for poor management, at all, my concern came with the content of two of the phone calls. The first one, "Julie, Julian got too close to the saw." And of course I immediately pictured blood, a lot of blood. When in fact she had gotten saw dust in her eye that required a visit to the eye doctor to get all of it removed. Then Chace fell out of the tree house which could have clearly started that phone conversation. What I got was, "Mommy we think Chace broke his leg." He had landed on some stone pavers below and his leg rightfully swelled up. He hadn't broken his leg and Julian hadn't severed fingers, BUT I'm clearly a visual kind of person and need to hear a couple of layers higher in the details, so the possibilities don't float around in my head long enough to cause me alarm. Anyway, I look forward to the workshop and pray that no one's child gets injured in anyway today.
OK, I have preschool crafts to cut out---turkeys and indians and pilgrims and cornucopias, etc. Gotta go.
Wednesday was Julian's birthday; 7 on the seventh. Her party was yesterday and as with her older siblings she donated her gifts to Operation Christmas Child. William and I were elated that the turn in day for the shoe boxes is tomorrow. For Chace's birthday we held onto the boxes for over 6 months. For Jessica's we only had to leave them at the house for 2 months.
Julian's party was very nice and just what she wanted. We met at a local park that isn't big but is the only one we know of with a teeter totter. A four (plus) seater at that! She wanted to sew or do crafts for her party. We decided to make pillows out of fleece. Brownies were her request and with blue frosting. The weather was gorgeous, we really couldn't have been blessed with a better day. And everyone had someone to hang with. Well Jessica got to play with 2 year old John and she had fun with him, but everyone else was able to play with someone their own age. Four of the girls had older brothers and all that entertainment took was a baseball or a football and they were content. Some of the dad's played with them throughout the event as well. Then the moms had the moms to chat with. Two other mom's were on trips so William had several dad's to hang out with. On the ride home Julian exclaimed, "This was my best birthday party ever!"
Our vacation dates have been planned and I believe are set. We leave South Florida on December 17 and return the following year. Most of our time will be spent in Virginia and then we'll visit GA part of the time too. I think the girls are set but I'll definitely have to do some clothes shopping for Chace. He is too tall for all of his jeans and the boy loves his jeans. We've got mittens and hats a plenty and the children will be so excited to get to use them. A jacket or two might have to be purchased as well.
We've had a full week of cooler weather and we've loved every moment. Typically we have a day or two relief from the heat so we're grateful for these last 7 days. The windows have been open and the air conditioner off. Awesome. I've heard the girls use the word freezing quite loosely. Wait until they get to Virginia.
Today is the car clinic for our Grand Prix race cars. We get together with fellow AWANA children and families at a friends house for the children to work on their pine wood derby cars. Last year William took the children and I went to an event with Sonja. During my event I received several calls as one by one the children (MY children) were getting injured. This year I'm going with the rest of the family in hopes that we don't have a repeat year. I don't blame my husband for poor management, at all, my concern came with the content of two of the phone calls. The first one, "Julie, Julian got too close to the saw." And of course I immediately pictured blood, a lot of blood. When in fact she had gotten saw dust in her eye that required a visit to the eye doctor to get all of it removed. Then Chace fell out of the tree house which could have clearly started that phone conversation. What I got was, "Mommy we think Chace broke his leg." He had landed on some stone pavers below and his leg rightfully swelled up. He hadn't broken his leg and Julian hadn't severed fingers, BUT I'm clearly a visual kind of person and need to hear a couple of layers higher in the details, so the possibilities don't float around in my head long enough to cause me alarm. Anyway, I look forward to the workshop and pray that no one's child gets injured in anyway today.
OK, I have preschool crafts to cut out---turkeys and indians and pilgrims and cornucopias, etc. Gotta go.
Friday, November 2, 2007
The spots are fading away.
As we slowly acclimate our children back into the outside world we are pleased to announce that each are doing well. Jessica never showed us any spots, Julian had less than a handful and Chace kept his to his midsection. Last night friends came over that we normally see 4+ times during the week. The children hadn't seen each other in several days and were thrilled to see each other. They were all talking fast and excited, it was cute. We've been loved on by friends through this tiny ordeal. Our last night visitors brought them a new DVD to watch. William came home from work today with a huge cookie; with a frosting face and red dots spread through-out. It is really cute. This from a friend that Chace had spent last weekend with and we were sure would end up with the chicken pox. The hardest part of the whole thing was making the children miss AWANA Wednesday evening. They were sad and disappointed.
Noel gave us quite a bit of wind and rain and knocked down all the loose palm fronds for us. Other than that we were not bothered by the storm.
The news tells us we'll see a couple of morning's temperatures in the 60's and we are thrilled. It won't last long enough but we'll take what we can get. Brrrr ; )
Noel gave us quite a bit of wind and rain and knocked down all the loose palm fronds for us. Other than that we were not bothered by the storm.
The news tells us we'll see a couple of morning's temperatures in the 60's and we are thrilled. It won't last long enough but we'll take what we can get. Brrrr ; )
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
We've got cabin fever.
I failed to tell you about our beach visit yesterday. Noel had the beach windy and wonderful. I took Chace and Julian and we had a great time jumping the surf. Our ears were ringing when we left but I maintain my stance; there is no such thing as a bad a day at the beach.
Update:
Chace - more spots heading towards back
Julian - spots on tummy, celebrating
Jessica - wishing for spots, itching
And then there's Noel but who knows what that will be. Give us about 12 hours and we'll let you know.
Update:
Chace - more spots heading towards back
Julian - spots on tummy, celebrating
Jessica - wishing for spots, itching
And then there's Noel but who knows what that will be. Give us about 12 hours and we'll let you know.
Monday, October 29, 2007
God smiles down on us with His vibrant sense of humor.
Our life is full, no, abundant. Life is good, really. Chace lost his eighth tooth last night; catching up with Julian. To celebrate he got the chicken pox today. At least that is what our research shows. It started out as one spot on his belly noticed when daddy picked him up after PE. Hours later we were coming home from the beach and he showed me his belly. By this time there were 6 -8 spots and since I knew nothing about this mornings discovery assumed a sea creature had been nibbling on him. Daddy thought a land creature had been nibbling on him. Once the two parties met we realized things weren't looking too good. Then the fever started. So you get the picture. And God continues to smile as we smile back.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
October is waving good-bye
It started raining again in South Florida. Tropical storms in October. We saw a complete rainbow; it was beautiful. And the temperature remains hot; very hot. We had a couple of nice, breezy days but they were only a tease. The children have enjoyed fishing in the backyard creating various fishing devices. Any pole they can find will do. I'm liking this style as they don't have to cast overhead therefore no hooks are flying around peoples faces making me all nervous.
I was able to sleep in two days in a row this week AND, and, AND I had a nap on Wednesday. I can hear the pitter patter of the rain again. The noise is delightful to fall asleep to. I think I'll join my family in bed. ttfn
I was able to sleep in two days in a row this week AND, and, AND I had a nap on Wednesday. I can hear the pitter patter of the rain again. The noise is delightful to fall asleep to. I think I'll join my family in bed. ttfn
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
It's Fall!?
I took the children to the pumpkin patch. It was so hot, it was miserable. There were other children there that didn't even want to be there. We had waited for our time at the barn to get this picture. So Happy Fall Ya'll!!
On another note Chace pulled a turtle out of the canal behind us and discovered a snake, too. By God's grace he didn't catch the snake. YUCK We had tossed some old crackers towards the water and were visited but some feathered friends. The children went to check them out and discovered the other creatures.
This marks week three of my new job. I am teaching Preschoolers from 8:30 - 12:00. M, W, & F there are five 3's all of which are about to turn 4. T & Th I have 7 two year olds, some of which have turned 3. Our children can come with me as two of the other teachers also homeschool. Sometimes they are with daddy and Monday's they go to their PE class. The addition fits really nice into our schedule and I'm enjoying the children. Today they go with me so I need to pack lunches and get some work organized.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Julian and the Thompsons
It's hard to take a picture with 7 kids in it. The Thompsons use to live next door to us in FL. We've both moved; they moved to GA (lucky them) and are about 45 minutes from mom and dad's home. Julian and I had the privilege to see them.
So in no particular order:
Grace, Nathaniel, Sophie, Sadie, Bradford, Benjamin and Bradford with Julian surrounded by all of them.
Where is October going?
I've been lovingly addressed about not having a recent entry in the blog. It's nice to know that this is not entered in vain. I have gone on the blog but when I hadn't noticed any responses I popped back off. Lesson learned.
Last week Julian and I went to GA for a week. What a wonderful time we had. The weather, ahhh the weather was glorious. Of course we stayed with mom and dad and I was really pleased to see how they are both doing. Although things are certainly different, things are also still the same. Does that make sense? The familiarity of mom's cooking and catch up conversations with both parents. Since they had planned on moving the first of the year, a lot of their belongings were boxed up. This made us unable to play a round of Scrabble.
Tuesday dad had to get blood work done so we loaded up into the van and accomplished that errand. This was really the only time that Julian and I left the house. We certainly enjoyed the back yard and Julian was thoroughly entertained by cable.
While we were away, William and the children emptied our storage unit into our garage. This led to the discovery of the Halloween decorations which then led to the flow of Chace's creative juices. We now have a creature at the door waiting to 'greet' all who dare to enter. I noticed the lid to my cute Fall decorations was open but nothing was of interest because it was not displayed.
Friday, September 28, 2007
The beach
September is now almost over. UGH!! I hadn't been to the beach this month and am flying to GA tomorrow. I was running out of time. So I loaded 4 children [there's always more : ) ] into the van and went to the beach. I just wanted (and had time for) a stroll on the beach. Some of us were in suits, some of us weren't. The water was wonderful and the breeze was gentle; the weather was perfect! Because it was planned as a quick outing we didn't take anything. As we got out of the van Chace elated, "Yes, nothing to carry!" My sentiments exact. We played for about a 1/2 hour and loaded up the van and went to lunch, with daddy. Jessica declared that she wanted October's beach visit to be much longer and I am all for that.
The beach visits in August and September made me realize the need for this New Year's resolution. Both months almost got away from me without a beach outing. Our schedules can get crazy (spelled c-h-a-o-t-i-c) and without this minor goal in mind the peace of moments at the beach would slip away.
Tomorrow I fly to GA to spend a week with my parents. My sister spent last weekend with them. I sent her a quick e mail---tell me about your weekend. That brief e mail was loaded with a lot of wondering for what journey I was about the embark on. You see, I was daddy's favorite, all 4 of us were, and I have so many wonderful memories with him. Dad taught me how to ride a bike. Dad let me drive the riding mower. Dad brought goodies home from the gas station if he stopped to fuel up on the way home. You get the picture. Now don't get me wrong, the memories of mom are equally as delightful and plentiful. The first of the year I saw the decline of my father's health as it had been described to me in e mail after e mail from my mother. Dad appeared worse off then his father who drives from Ohio to Florida and back every year. Anyway, my dear sister answered my e mail along with every question I was unsure about asking. She hit the high notes and the low notes and now I can go in with much less trepidation. Thanks Cheryl!
I also must thank my younger sister for bailing me out. In my excitement of finding a reasonably priced plane ticket I inadvertently purchased a ticket that has me landing in Atlanta at 10:00 PM YIKES!! Laura's husband has agreed to come to baggage claim to 'claim' me and keep me safe and get me to my parent's house. Thank you and thank you!! This, of course, means that I'll get to see my niece and nephew in the morning.
While I'm on the thank you wagon I need to also thank my husband who will be adjusting his schedule and caring for the children so that I can help mom and dad. Their planner is ready with school work and house work and everything else that makes our world turn. I know they are in wonderful hands.
The dryer buzzer just went off reminding me that I need to go finish packing. But one more thing before I go. Jennifer Thompson, a dear friend and former neighbor, moved within 1 hour of my parents. I e mailed her letting her know I would try to see her while I was in GA. Her response---I want to fix a meal for you and your parents. This wonderful lady is going to cook us a meal AND load her 6 children into the van and deliver our dinner. I am so excited to see her and the children; two of whom I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. Jessica if you're reading this and seething, sorry, I'll take lots of pictures and share them with you when I return. Jennifer thank you for being a fine example of a good Christian woman.
God Bless!
The beach visits in August and September made me realize the need for this New Year's resolution. Both months almost got away from me without a beach outing. Our schedules can get crazy (spelled c-h-a-o-t-i-c) and without this minor goal in mind the peace of moments at the beach would slip away.
Tomorrow I fly to GA to spend a week with my parents. My sister spent last weekend with them. I sent her a quick e mail---tell me about your weekend. That brief e mail was loaded with a lot of wondering for what journey I was about the embark on. You see, I was daddy's favorite, all 4 of us were, and I have so many wonderful memories with him. Dad taught me how to ride a bike. Dad let me drive the riding mower. Dad brought goodies home from the gas station if he stopped to fuel up on the way home. You get the picture. Now don't get me wrong, the memories of mom are equally as delightful and plentiful. The first of the year I saw the decline of my father's health as it had been described to me in e mail after e mail from my mother. Dad appeared worse off then his father who drives from Ohio to Florida and back every year. Anyway, my dear sister answered my e mail along with every question I was unsure about asking. She hit the high notes and the low notes and now I can go in with much less trepidation. Thanks Cheryl!
I also must thank my younger sister for bailing me out. In my excitement of finding a reasonably priced plane ticket I inadvertently purchased a ticket that has me landing in Atlanta at 10:00 PM YIKES!! Laura's husband has agreed to come to baggage claim to 'claim' me and keep me safe and get me to my parent's house. Thank you and thank you!! This, of course, means that I'll get to see my niece and nephew in the morning.
While I'm on the thank you wagon I need to also thank my husband who will be adjusting his schedule and caring for the children so that I can help mom and dad. Their planner is ready with school work and house work and everything else that makes our world turn. I know they are in wonderful hands.
The dryer buzzer just went off reminding me that I need to go finish packing. But one more thing before I go. Jennifer Thompson, a dear friend and former neighbor, moved within 1 hour of my parents. I e mailed her letting her know I would try to see her while I was in GA. Her response---I want to fix a meal for you and your parents. This wonderful lady is going to cook us a meal AND load her 6 children into the van and deliver our dinner. I am so excited to see her and the children; two of whom I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. Jessica if you're reading this and seething, sorry, I'll take lots of pictures and share them with you when I return. Jennifer thank you for being a fine example of a good Christian woman.
God Bless!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Another view..
OK, top picture is from table area out into the living room. After the yellow wall on the right is a half bath, the door into the garage and then a door under the steps into the children's hiding spot. Half of the living room has low ceiling and the farther away area is a cathedral ceiling with ceiling fan. You can see the bottom of the half circle window.
The bottom picture shows the door under the steps on one side and the front door on the other. The steps, of course, are then behind the piano.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
133 Danielle Court
OK, here's the front of the house. Chace's window is above the garage area. To the right is the living room.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Jessica, my Jessica
Today is Jessica's birthday, she is 11. And what a joy she is in our lives. She has a sense of humor that she let's out every now and then. And then there's the ornery side of her. She is so lovely. Her wish is to have tennis be part of her birthday party. She has invited a small group of friends to play tennis; we've borrowed a ball server machine from a friend. Then the girls will come to our home to shower and have lunch. Afterwards, we'll go to the mall to Build-a-Bear.
Dad and mom are getting into a routine at home. With help coming in through-out the week mom feels more and more equipped to handle her new job. The children have been able to come in for the weekends so that mom can get to church or the grocery store and other minor errands. My turn is the end of the month; I'll fly in for a week. Dad is more mobile and it sounds like he is most confident while using the walker. He tends to make mom nervous when he slings it around. I am certain her fingerprints are evident on his arm when he is up and about.
I know I've promised pictures and I haven't forgotten. The camera was in use at work; I plan to track it down today to bring it home.
Dad and mom are getting into a routine at home. With help coming in through-out the week mom feels more and more equipped to handle her new job. The children have been able to come in for the weekends so that mom can get to church or the grocery store and other minor errands. My turn is the end of the month; I'll fly in for a week. Dad is more mobile and it sounds like he is most confident while using the walker. He tends to make mom nervous when he slings it around. I am certain her fingerprints are evident on his arm when he is up and about.
I know I've promised pictures and I haven't forgotten. The camera was in use at work; I plan to track it down today to bring it home.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Julian's accomplishments
Let me brag on Julian just a little. She's been asking me to help her do flips in the pool. Last week I was able to help and she learned how to do front ones and back ones. And all by herself. She was so proud and eager to show her brother and sister. She looks so graceful when she does the front flips. She's getting there on the backwards ones.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Testing Chace
Chace was making tea yesterday and, to get the sugar out, he decided to climb up on the counter top. While up there he noticed 2 cabinet doors above our frig and asked what was in them. My response to him was, "Your Christmas presents" It was enjoyable to watch his reaction. I maintained a smile on my face the whole time so he wasn't sure if I was kidding or not. 'Are you serious?' 'You've already gotten our Christmas presents?' 'I shouldn't look, that would take away the fun.' ' I'm gonna look, can I?' 'Are they wrapped?'
I never answered and curiosity got the better of him. When he peaked in he opened the door a little like he could shut it quick and erase the memory if there really was something inside and then said, "Uh there's nothing in there!' I told him that was what he was getting for Christmas this year.
Once forgotten, that cabinet (remember it's above the frig and he climbed on the counter top to get to it) was designated his next hiding spot for hide and seek. Fortunately for me he cannot fit all the way inside therefore he would not be hidden very well after all.
I never answered and curiosity got the better of him. When he peaked in he opened the door a little like he could shut it quick and erase the memory if there really was something inside and then said, "Uh there's nothing in there!' I told him that was what he was getting for Christmas this year.
Once forgotten, that cabinet (remember it's above the frig and he climbed on the counter top to get to it) was designated his next hiding spot for hide and seek. Fortunately for me he cannot fit all the way inside therefore he would not be hidden very well after all.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Homeschooling the Long's way...
Hello, I come to you with good news. Dad is now home from the hospital under the watchful eye and loving care of mom. I can't even imagine how content he must feel to be, as my sister put it, on his throne watching over his kingdom. He has some work to do yet but am certain that he will continue to progress and be his former self again soon.
Today's schooling started out normal, whatever that is, and then took a turn. I'm a sucker for my children working together as a team coming up with activities, school related or not. Today's really didn't have anything to do with education; it was just fascinating to watch. What started out as a water fight with squirt bottles, quickly turned into a slip and slide in the living room . We have tile downstairs as with most houses in South Florida. It didn't take Chace long to realize that the tile was getting slippery; so he started sliding around on his knees. Eventually he was running and sliding and the girls quickly followed his lead. Once he started getting brave, he realized that when he plowed into the chairs at the kitchen table he could move them and keep sliding right under the table. So the chairs were removed and they began creating stunts. Sometimes they had their squirt bottle in hand, sometimes not. Sometimes the squirt bottle was being squirted, sometimes not.
I realized that daddy might not share in the humor of the event so quickly e mailed him to give us a 10 minute warning before he came home. Fridays are his 'day off' so he could be home at anytime. That, of course, set the phone ringing immediately. "WHY do you need a ten minute warming?" I left out some of the details and assured him it was for his own good. When he was home and that was after we had cleaned up and put everything back the way it was before he left for work, we told him what our activity was. It shall remain named as 'mopping the floors.'
In the meantime, I notice that my children are getting along better and better and for longer periods of time. That's all good to me.
We're still unloading boxes in the house; a couple here and there and not every day. The shelves still need some organizing but the clutter seems to be at a minimum. By the end of this month we'll empty the storage unit into the garage. So the settling in is going smoothly; slowly but surely.
I haven't yet taken pictures so bear with me, they'll be posted once I start taking them.
Today's schooling started out normal, whatever that is, and then took a turn. I'm a sucker for my children working together as a team coming up with activities, school related or not. Today's really didn't have anything to do with education; it was just fascinating to watch. What started out as a water fight with squirt bottles, quickly turned into a slip and slide in the living room . We have tile downstairs as with most houses in South Florida. It didn't take Chace long to realize that the tile was getting slippery; so he started sliding around on his knees. Eventually he was running and sliding and the girls quickly followed his lead. Once he started getting brave, he realized that when he plowed into the chairs at the kitchen table he could move them and keep sliding right under the table. So the chairs were removed and they began creating stunts. Sometimes they had their squirt bottle in hand, sometimes not. Sometimes the squirt bottle was being squirted, sometimes not.
I realized that daddy might not share in the humor of the event so quickly e mailed him to give us a 10 minute warning before he came home. Fridays are his 'day off' so he could be home at anytime. That, of course, set the phone ringing immediately. "WHY do you need a ten minute warming?" I left out some of the details and assured him it was for his own good. When he was home and that was after we had cleaned up and put everything back the way it was before he left for work, we told him what our activity was. It shall remain named as 'mopping the floors.'
In the meantime, I notice that my children are getting along better and better and for longer periods of time. That's all good to me.
We're still unloading boxes in the house; a couple here and there and not every day. The shelves still need some organizing but the clutter seems to be at a minimum. By the end of this month we'll empty the storage unit into the garage. So the settling in is going smoothly; slowly but surely.
I haven't yet taken pictures so bear with me, they'll be posted once I start taking them.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Happy Lunar Eclipse to you.
Good morning. And did you enjoy the lunar eclipse? We sure did. Our plan was to get up and go to the Y pool to enjoy the event. I've been trying to have a good enough reason to get the kids up early to swim at the Y. The eclipse seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Once I was awake, I turned the news on to make sure we were still going to have a good view, no clouds, etc. to block our view. Once that was verified, I woke everyone and we put on our swimsuits and off we went. What a spectacular show God gave us. And to think children can stare at something other than a television. We watched the moon until the sliver of light was gone then jumped into the very cold pool. It didn't take us long to warm up and get silly. As the sun started coming up I was sure to point the children's eyes heavenward so they could continue to enjoy the light show. They were mesmerized by the varying colors of blue. Chace commented that the first shade of blue we saw matched his sheets. Not sure if that is where he wanted to be so he thought of his sheets. Hmmm. My children had the privilege to enjoy the colors turn from black to shades of blue, all the way to white with streaks of pink. We should do that more often. Other than a few men swimming laps we were the only ones there to entertain the lifeguard. Turns out she will be the one instructing Julian's soon to come swimming lessons. My kids were bundled in their robes to go home. We got lots of smiles from tired adults as they came and went from their work outs.
My father is still recovering in the rehab area of the hospital from his brain surgery to remove a tumor. He has had more good days then bad ones and each day he seems to be more and more himself. Mom is a pillar of strength as she handles this and everything to do with the 'not sale' of their home. My parents were to move last week; so the house is boxed up and realtors and lawyers were working with them. When the sale fell through things began to fall apart. Once the contract with the realtors was up, mom and dad took the house off the market. As you probably know, it isn't all that easy and mom has been quite the trooper dealing with the weight of the matter. Today mom is to have a meeting with the hospital staff, that has helped dad, to see what his next steps will be. There is talk of him going home this week but we don't feel he is quite ready for that. Maybe he will go to an assisted living area to continue therapy or maybe he'll stay where he is. We'll see. Please continue to pray for them; dad, mom and the hospital staff, for God's guidance and for strength.
Tomorrow is garbage day and we have yet another load of empty, tattered boxes to put out for pick up. The house continues to come together and we continue to see how blessed we are to still see available space, not clutter and not a cramped home. Thank you Jesus! The children love our flight of steps. It is one continuous whereas the last home you had to go around a corner. They've taken to using various objects as sleds and have the bruises on their bottom to prove the number of times they've gone down the steps. This should explain why are boxes are so tattered.
OK I'm going to close for now. I'll jot some more soon. Take care! And smile; because, afterall, Jesus loves you!!
My father is still recovering in the rehab area of the hospital from his brain surgery to remove a tumor. He has had more good days then bad ones and each day he seems to be more and more himself. Mom is a pillar of strength as she handles this and everything to do with the 'not sale' of their home. My parents were to move last week; so the house is boxed up and realtors and lawyers were working with them. When the sale fell through things began to fall apart. Once the contract with the realtors was up, mom and dad took the house off the market. As you probably know, it isn't all that easy and mom has been quite the trooper dealing with the weight of the matter. Today mom is to have a meeting with the hospital staff, that has helped dad, to see what his next steps will be. There is talk of him going home this week but we don't feel he is quite ready for that. Maybe he will go to an assisted living area to continue therapy or maybe he'll stay where he is. We'll see. Please continue to pray for them; dad, mom and the hospital staff, for God's guidance and for strength.
Tomorrow is garbage day and we have yet another load of empty, tattered boxes to put out for pick up. The house continues to come together and we continue to see how blessed we are to still see available space, not clutter and not a cramped home. Thank you Jesus! The children love our flight of steps. It is one continuous whereas the last home you had to go around a corner. They've taken to using various objects as sleds and have the bruises on their bottom to prove the number of times they've gone down the steps. This should explain why are boxes are so tattered.
OK I'm going to close for now. I'll jot some more soon. Take care! And smile; because, afterall, Jesus loves you!!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Where have you been?
OK, so it's me that hasn't been here lately. I swear I though things would slow down over the summer. I notice that we're at the end of August now. Where have I been? Let me tell you. I started August out sick, mostly sinus stuff. The next week, Julian was REALLY sick. My father went in for surgery in attempts to remove a tumor that was wrapped around the base of his brain. Then we packed up the whole house and moved. And then AWANA started out and with the most amount of children we've ever had with numbers still growing. August has been a blur for me.
Today we had our internet access connected, so here I am.
Lunch just arrived so I'll give you more of the specifics later.
Today we had our internet access connected, so here I am.
Lunch just arrived so I'll give you more of the specifics later.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Hello everybody, how are you today?
Good morning. Can you believe that August is tomorrow?
Well the Long family is back from Word of Life camp and everyone had a great time. Jessica and Chace share new experiences each day with us. They're teaching Julian the moves to various silly songs they learned during meal times. We seem to have 2 children that like to go to the front to show off their moves. William, Julian and I enjoyed our version of camp; without any exhibitions. We went on the canoe trip again and thoroughly enjoyed our ride. The scenery is so beautiful, calm, serene. You get the picture. Oh and we saw a mama manatee and her pup at the beginning of our ride.
Saturday after we left camp we headed to Tampa for the water park. William enlisted 3 college students from church to join us as chaperons. That gave us plenty of adults to distribute the 40some children. I was able to spend the day with Julian and a friend of hers. Low key. We planned to leave the park by 5:30 and eat dinner across the street at a Pizza Hut. William called the restaurant at 4:00 to give them a heads up and place an order. We arrived on schedule and I felt like I was in the Beast's castle except no one was singing, "Be our guest..." They ushered us right into seating, came out with 2 liter bottles of sodas, trays of ice filled cups, round after round of pizzas and everything we needed to enjoy a relaxing dinner with 60 people. It was amazing AND we were finished in less than 45 minutes. Consequently we got a head start on the ride home and had to call the parents to come earlier to pick their children up.
Well the Long family is back from Word of Life camp and everyone had a great time. Jessica and Chace share new experiences each day with us. They're teaching Julian the moves to various silly songs they learned during meal times. We seem to have 2 children that like to go to the front to show off their moves. William, Julian and I enjoyed our version of camp; without any exhibitions. We went on the canoe trip again and thoroughly enjoyed our ride. The scenery is so beautiful, calm, serene. You get the picture. Oh and we saw a mama manatee and her pup at the beginning of our ride.
Saturday after we left camp we headed to Tampa for the water park. William enlisted 3 college students from church to join us as chaperons. That gave us plenty of adults to distribute the 40some children. I was able to spend the day with Julian and a friend of hers. Low key. We planned to leave the park by 5:30 and eat dinner across the street at a Pizza Hut. William called the restaurant at 4:00 to give them a heads up and place an order. We arrived on schedule and I felt like I was in the Beast's castle except no one was singing, "Be our guest..." They ushered us right into seating, came out with 2 liter bottles of sodas, trays of ice filled cups, round after round of pizzas and everything we needed to enjoy a relaxing dinner with 60 people. It was amazing AND we were finished in less than 45 minutes. Consequently we got a head start on the ride home and had to call the parents to come earlier to pick their children up.
We made one drop off and were home by 11:00. Chace crawled from the van to his bed. The girl's followed shortly after. Once we flipped through the mail and checked the pets, William and I too succumbed to sleep. Sunday morning came early.
I'm caught up on camp laundry with sleeping bags drying from various places in the house. You still have the opportunity to go to the Word of Life web site to view pictures of the children. To all who sent them mail, thanks a lot, they loved that!
Enjoy!
Friday, July 20, 2007
2 seconds before take-off
Why the heading, I'm not really sure why God put that in my head. Maybe the update on our lives will make it self explanatory. Here goes...
My trip to Ridgecrest, NC was fabulous. The mountains are more majestic than you could even imagine. I've been away from them way too long. The weather was glorious and I didn't break a sweat; at all. My first night there made me wonder if I really should have packed a jacket or sweater. It was just a cold front and only lasted that evening. With no computer, no TV and no children and the rest in tow, I was allowed much down time to read and spend with the Lord. How refreshing.
Monday thru Wednesday I spent with my brother and sister (we missed you Laura). Although miles and life get in the way; we were instantly able to push that aside and recall memories and share stories. Although I enjoyed getting to see my two older siblings my favorite memory of this visit will be getting to spend time with my niece and nephew. Both are growing too fast and making too many memories that do not include their Florida family.
I remained in regular contact with the family and found the conversations to be longer and longer; neither side wanting to lose that connection. Julian lost two teeth while I was away. This makes numbers 7 & 8 for her. We got a laugh when we realized that Chace has only lost 6 teeth.
I was greeted at the airport by three adorable children each holding an adorable teddy bear. Two were purchased in my absence. They were all giddy and goofy and glad to have mommy back. I too was glad to be home.
While I was away, Tuesday was bulk pick-up day and daddy had the biggest pile in the neighborhood. We're doing some decluttering and cleaning out and he went full force into the project. I am thrilled.
Thursday was spent reconnecting. In addition, William had a photo shoot we all helped with. It lasted until 1 in the morning and we were all wiped out. Today, Friday, I took Julian to the Doctor as she was complaining of her ear hurting her. She has an ear infection. Tomorrow Daniel Sieber, our first exchange student, is coming to town for a week. We are thrilled with his visit. He is on his way to Ecuador to teach English for a year.
Monday the whole family heads to Hudson, FL for children's camp. Chace and Jessica are sleepover campers, Julian stays with us. If you find yourself able to send a note to either of the older children, I am certain they would enjoy hearing from you:
Jessica Long or Chace Long
July 23 - 28, 2007
Word of Life Camp
13052 Word of Life Drive
Hudson, FL 34669
So maybe the heading is indicative of our busy lives. I do always feel like I'm getting ready for something. I'll close for now so I can get back to my TO DO lists.
My trip to Ridgecrest, NC was fabulous. The mountains are more majestic than you could even imagine. I've been away from them way too long. The weather was glorious and I didn't break a sweat; at all. My first night there made me wonder if I really should have packed a jacket or sweater. It was just a cold front and only lasted that evening. With no computer, no TV and no children and the rest in tow, I was allowed much down time to read and spend with the Lord. How refreshing.
Monday thru Wednesday I spent with my brother and sister (we missed you Laura). Although miles and life get in the way; we were instantly able to push that aside and recall memories and share stories. Although I enjoyed getting to see my two older siblings my favorite memory of this visit will be getting to spend time with my niece and nephew. Both are growing too fast and making too many memories that do not include their Florida family.
I remained in regular contact with the family and found the conversations to be longer and longer; neither side wanting to lose that connection. Julian lost two teeth while I was away. This makes numbers 7 & 8 for her. We got a laugh when we realized that Chace has only lost 6 teeth.
I was greeted at the airport by three adorable children each holding an adorable teddy bear. Two were purchased in my absence. They were all giddy and goofy and glad to have mommy back. I too was glad to be home.
While I was away, Tuesday was bulk pick-up day and daddy had the biggest pile in the neighborhood. We're doing some decluttering and cleaning out and he went full force into the project. I am thrilled.
Thursday was spent reconnecting. In addition, William had a photo shoot we all helped with. It lasted until 1 in the morning and we were all wiped out. Today, Friday, I took Julian to the Doctor as she was complaining of her ear hurting her. She has an ear infection. Tomorrow Daniel Sieber, our first exchange student, is coming to town for a week. We are thrilled with his visit. He is on his way to Ecuador to teach English for a year.
Monday the whole family heads to Hudson, FL for children's camp. Chace and Jessica are sleepover campers, Julian stays with us. If you find yourself able to send a note to either of the older children, I am certain they would enjoy hearing from you:
Jessica Long or Chace Long
July 23 - 28, 2007
Word of Life Camp
13052 Word of Life Drive
Hudson, FL 34669
So maybe the heading is indicative of our busy lives. I do always feel like I'm getting ready for something. I'll close for now so I can get back to my TO DO lists.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Howdy
VBS was wonderful, we had a great week. We were exhausted and what a good feeling. God brought close to 450 children to the program with enough volunteers to help lead those children. Last week was spent recouping and adjusting to life without Sonja. She flew home the week of VBS. This was sad to all of us and she was sweet enough to leave little notes all over the house for us to find. Treasures that we'll all keep.
Our next big ticket item is Word of Life Camp which takes place July 23 through the 28. This group is 8 adults and 50 kids with most of those kids being enrolled into the camp with counselors. We end the week with a day at Tampa's water park and get home late Saturday night.
Friday I fly to Charlotte for a conference. I lengthened my trip to visit with family through Wednesday and look forward to that down time.
Today we're to go to the beach. We've had a lazy start since daddy didn't go into work early. Everyone is still in their jammies and nothing has been packed. It won't take long but to get started I have to get off of here. TTFN
Our next big ticket item is Word of Life Camp which takes place July 23 through the 28. This group is 8 adults and 50 kids with most of those kids being enrolled into the camp with counselors. We end the week with a day at Tampa's water park and get home late Saturday night.
Friday I fly to Charlotte for a conference. I lengthened my trip to visit with family through Wednesday and look forward to that down time.
Today we're to go to the beach. We've had a lazy start since daddy didn't go into work early. Everyone is still in their jammies and nothing has been packed. It won't take long but to get started I have to get off of here. TTFN
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
The 3 ring circus
OK, so William indicated that we had a video shoot today at a horse farm. Then he asked for chocolate pudding and brownies or chocolate cake - no frosting. Knowing my husband as I know him I suspect that I am not bringing a snack for us; especially since my husband doesn't normally eat aforementioned sweets. Hmmm
I have been shopping everyday this week. Not being the avid shopper this VBS stuff is wearing me out. I had to laugh at my husband, after visiting one store he asked me to get his list and mark off numbers 7 and 21. Now that's a prepared list. Mine is rather sporadic looking.
The three ring circus... we have three pets and these are currently three pets that we try to keep separated from each other. The cat stays in our bedroom. And being 18 years old she is fine with that set-up until the kitten taunts her under the door with her paw. The rabbit is inside due to extremely hot weather and or the tropical rain storms we've been experiencing. We keep her in her cage and let her out at least once a day to exercise. The kitten is fearless and swats at her through the wires. The rabbit, thus far, has been very patient with her. This morning I opened the cage door and watched. The kitten proceeded to repeatedly knock the door shut and the rabbit gave up trying to get out. Next time I turned around the kitten was IN the cage with the rabbit. I report all of this lovingly and cheerfully!
I'll close this entry asking for your prayers as we head into VBS. Strength and endurance is what comes to mind.
I have been shopping everyday this week. Not being the avid shopper this VBS stuff is wearing me out. I had to laugh at my husband, after visiting one store he asked me to get his list and mark off numbers 7 and 21. Now that's a prepared list. Mine is rather sporadic looking.
The three ring circus... we have three pets and these are currently three pets that we try to keep separated from each other. The cat stays in our bedroom. And being 18 years old she is fine with that set-up until the kitten taunts her under the door with her paw. The rabbit is inside due to extremely hot weather and or the tropical rain storms we've been experiencing. We keep her in her cage and let her out at least once a day to exercise. The kitten is fearless and swats at her through the wires. The rabbit, thus far, has been very patient with her. This morning I opened the cage door and watched. The kitten proceeded to repeatedly knock the door shut and the rabbit gave up trying to get out. Next time I turned around the kitten was IN the cage with the rabbit. I report all of this lovingly and cheerfully!
I'll close this entry asking for your prayers as we head into VBS. Strength and endurance is what comes to mind.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
A successful day
The computer is randomly downloading pictures so as they come up I add them to the blog. I meant for this one to be with his other picture. Chace was worn out at the end of the event; you could tell it was a good feeling.
Last night we had dinner with Sonja and her family. What a joyful group and what a blessing to get to meet them. They will be touring Florida until Thursday the 28th. Friday they fly home.
We will surely miss her, she was a blessing to us. The children have bonded to an older sister and will cherish the memories they made with her.
Tomorrow we take some time off to go to the beach. I don't think I've been this month. That is my New Year's resolution after all; enjoy the beach at least once a month.
I'm almost caught up on laundry from last week with this week sneaking up behind me.
Tonight we went to church to view the videos and some pictures from last week's events. Everyone is still laughing and high on the week. I saw some deacons and pastors like I've never seen before. When they said, 'what happens at camp, stays at camp,' they forgot about the proof of pictures. If you have the time and desire some can be viewed at www.fbcweston.org
Jessica plays Father Abraham
had 7 sons..." Oh, I caught you singing didn't I? There seems to be a theme going with tonight's blogs. Anyway, this is Jessica at the piano for her recital.
Open piano night
After Jessica's piano recital, the audience was invited to tickle the ivory if the mood struck. Julian was so inclined to show off her talents. It must be time for me to teach her more.
Have sparring pads.....
...will accept first place trophy. This is Chace after his first sparring tournament.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Happy Father's Day
Somehow I thought our schedule would slow down as the calendar got closer to summer. It hasn't happened and we're holding on tight as the ride continues.
June 3 through the 8 William was in Colorado. His flight landed at 12:45 in the morning and we were all ready to go pick him up. After minimal traveling for over a year, we've become accustomed to having him around.
June 9 Chace had his first Karate tournament and it lasted all day. We didn't know what to expect going in and came out very satisfied. Chace received a trophy for third place in forms and one for first place for sparring. He was very happy and didn't want any help carrying the trophies to the car.
Sunday the tenth we had church and Jessica's piano recital in the evening. With three students it was a quick one especially compared to Chace's previous day.
Monday the children and I loaded a charter bus and headed to Groveland, Florida with 200 other people to attend Student Camp. I had been invited to help with the leader's children. Our schedule had us swimming, playing mini golf, riding bikes and enjoying bible lessons. The children fared well even though it was technically week 2 without daddy.
Friday we hitched a ride with fellow campers to Orlando where we met up with William and a cousin of mine. It was sad to know that we hadn't seen each other in over 5 years. The five of us spent the night in Orlando and headed home Saturday.
Tomorrow Sonja's family flies in and they tour Florida through next week. During their stay we will meet up with them several times. June 29 they fly back to Germany.
June 25 is our churches VBS and we are ready to have the week started. We finish that off with Water Day on Friday.
I'll give you some more to chew on later. Now it's time to call the dads.
June 3 through the 8 William was in Colorado. His flight landed at 12:45 in the morning and we were all ready to go pick him up. After minimal traveling for over a year, we've become accustomed to having him around.
June 9 Chace had his first Karate tournament and it lasted all day. We didn't know what to expect going in and came out very satisfied. Chace received a trophy for third place in forms and one for first place for sparring. He was very happy and didn't want any help carrying the trophies to the car.
Sunday the tenth we had church and Jessica's piano recital in the evening. With three students it was a quick one especially compared to Chace's previous day.
Monday the children and I loaded a charter bus and headed to Groveland, Florida with 200 other people to attend Student Camp. I had been invited to help with the leader's children. Our schedule had us swimming, playing mini golf, riding bikes and enjoying bible lessons. The children fared well even though it was technically week 2 without daddy.
Friday we hitched a ride with fellow campers to Orlando where we met up with William and a cousin of mine. It was sad to know that we hadn't seen each other in over 5 years. The five of us spent the night in Orlando and headed home Saturday.
Tomorrow Sonja's family flies in and they tour Florida through next week. During their stay we will meet up with them several times. June 29 they fly back to Germany.
June 25 is our churches VBS and we are ready to have the week started. We finish that off with Water Day on Friday.
I'll give you some more to chew on later. Now it's time to call the dads.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Pitchfords move to IL
These are two of the sweetest boys I know. Grant is 3 and Jake is 11 months and daddy was picking them up to head north. We've watched Grant since he was about 18 months. Jake since he was a baby. You'll notice my three helpers, who did most of the work, are in the picture too.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Howdy
I think I haven't been on here in awhile so better get a quick update going.
A Julian funny: she claimed that she's becoming a woman now that she is carrying a purse most of the time.
Our schedule has kept us busy and though we've had some really good weeks, last weekend was busy and we got behind on the housework. By this morning I couldn't stand it any longer so I put a plan into action. The list had 40 lines, some with multiple tasks. These were all tasks to be completed by the younger three and me too. With the music cranked we busied ourselves and tackled the list. I hadn't realized how necessary this day really was until Jessica, in her dusting, came across the last Easter egg that was never found during the children's hunt. That thing was almost 2 months old. YUMMY!
Once the list was completed to the best of our abilities I took the kids to McDonald's for lunch. After the children ate they headed to the playground to burn off some energy. On our way out we spotted our Mailman eating his lunch and said hello to him. He immediately hopped up from his seat and headed to his truck to give us a package that he had for us. I thought that was a hoot, going to McDonald's and getting our mail.
From there we stopped and picked up the Christie girls and came home for a swim.
We've heard from Daniel and he is coming to Florida in July for a week. He is going to Ecuador for a year to teach English and is stopping here on his way over. We are really excited to see him and his new hairdo! He's excited to see the children and William and I too.
VBS plans are progressing nicely. William is running the whole shabang. He has me running Preschool, I love it. The box levels are dwindling in the house, I love that even more!!
By next week we should be able to use our full campus. In January there was a fire in one of the classrooms causing us to have to gut the downstairs of the educational building consisting of 7 very vital rooms. We are starved for space but God showed us how we can accomplish our same goals with less. The temple that shares our parking lot was kind enough to lend us space as needed. The rooms will be inspected this week.
Rain has been teasing us, just a little, but none of it must be hitting Lake Okeechobee because we are on major water restrictions.
Sonja took some pictures yesterday so I'll get her to download them and then I'll add them to the blog.
A Julian funny: she claimed that she's becoming a woman now that she is carrying a purse most of the time.
Our schedule has kept us busy and though we've had some really good weeks, last weekend was busy and we got behind on the housework. By this morning I couldn't stand it any longer so I put a plan into action. The list had 40 lines, some with multiple tasks. These were all tasks to be completed by the younger three and me too. With the music cranked we busied ourselves and tackled the list. I hadn't realized how necessary this day really was until Jessica, in her dusting, came across the last Easter egg that was never found during the children's hunt. That thing was almost 2 months old. YUMMY!
Once the list was completed to the best of our abilities I took the kids to McDonald's for lunch. After the children ate they headed to the playground to burn off some energy. On our way out we spotted our Mailman eating his lunch and said hello to him. He immediately hopped up from his seat and headed to his truck to give us a package that he had for us. I thought that was a hoot, going to McDonald's and getting our mail.
From there we stopped and picked up the Christie girls and came home for a swim.
We've heard from Daniel and he is coming to Florida in July for a week. He is going to Ecuador for a year to teach English and is stopping here on his way over. We are really excited to see him and his new hairdo! He's excited to see the children and William and I too.
VBS plans are progressing nicely. William is running the whole shabang. He has me running Preschool, I love it. The box levels are dwindling in the house, I love that even more!!
By next week we should be able to use our full campus. In January there was a fire in one of the classrooms causing us to have to gut the downstairs of the educational building consisting of 7 very vital rooms. We are starved for space but God showed us how we can accomplish our same goals with less. The temple that shares our parking lot was kind enough to lend us space as needed. The rooms will be inspected this week.
Rain has been teasing us, just a little, but none of it must be hitting Lake Okeechobee because we are on major water restrictions.
Sonja took some pictures yesterday so I'll get her to download them and then I'll add them to the blog.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day
On our way to a Mother Daughter tea and thought we should snap some pictures. Glad we did.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Exploring
After a day of shooting video for VBS at Amelia Earhart Park we let the kids explore. I slowed them down long enough to snap a few pictures. This is right after Jessica's haircut and right before Chace's. Julian's chin was free and clear so the kids also got to play in the stream after the photo session.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The new Jessica
Amazingly, we were able to cut 11 inches off of Jessica's hair. Discolored from the sun and swimming but healthy otherwise, she was able to make a donation to Locks of Love. Now her hair looks vibrant and thick and healthy and wonderful. So many times over she has resorted to the old long hair habits but with total glee. Sometimes she tries to flip her hair out of her shirt as she is putting it on or other times she sprays water on her shirt because she has surpassed the length of her hair. She loves her new hairstyle and the attention it seems to draw. We can still do many cute things with her hair and now someone else can too!
I give total credit to daddy who inspired her (financially) to finally allow the shorter do. Fortunately for us she loves it and is happy.
Would love to hear your comments.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Julian's Follow-follow-up
We are clear and free of bandages and infection also. As promised, I took Julian swimming today. The doctor sent her on her way with a clean and clear bill of health. Her skin is irritated from the tape but overall looks pretty good! I'm so glad we're this far into the ordeal. Now she just has to keep healing and not knock it anytime soon. YEAH
From the news, the state of Florida has over 120 fires burning. We can smell the smoke though our county has no fires currently. Our area had rain and storms with tornado activity Saturday evening and the water was well received by our dry, dry grass. It seems strange that a peninsula can't get enough water inland.
I have a request in for a picture of Jessica. Once one is taken, that I like, I'll add it to the post. Just wait until you see what she has done!!
From the news, the state of Florida has over 120 fires burning. We can smell the smoke though our county has no fires currently. Our area had rain and storms with tornado activity Saturday evening and the water was well received by our dry, dry grass. It seems strange that a peninsula can't get enough water inland.
I have a request in for a picture of Jessica. Once one is taken, that I like, I'll add it to the post. Just wait until you see what she has done!!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Air Show Friday and Relaxing Saturday
First of all let me say that I just realized that Chace had to go to the ER for a chin injury when we had Daniel, our first exchange student. Now Julian with our second exchange student. Sensing a trend we may have to stop with the exchange students!
Yesterday the kids and I went to the beach to watch the rehearsal for the Air and Sea Show. Since I don't do crowds Friday was a good day to see some of the show and enjoy the beach. We had 6 families in our group with just enough children for everyone to play with. I counted 22 ranging from 10 months to 17 years. Around 5 we gathered up and rinsed off to go to dinner. Three of the fathers met us and we had a pleasant dinner at Bubba Gumps. One of the mom's was looking to help during our short walk to the restaurant so I gave her the task of being prepared to answer the question, "how many?" when we got to the restaurant.
Chace spent most of the time jumping off rocks into the water and catching sea creatures. Jessica and her group used their goggles to search and explore all the underwater excitement. Julian, poor Julian, she wasn't allowed to get her chin wet (Dr.'s orders) but we were at the beach and I didn't have the heart to be strict with her. So she spent more time in the water then she should have. I was more worried about sand then I was salt water with her injury.
We all came home tired and content and ready for a good nights sleep, after a shower of course.
Saturday and no plans, no parties, no games, no nothing. A first in how long??? By lunchtime it was Julian and I at the house by ourselves. So much for no plans. William went to the office to get some work done, Sonja went out with friends, Jessica went to run errands with friends and Chace ended up at a friend's house. At 10:30, I now have the three younger kids at home and in bed. Sonja is out with another group of friends and William is at the movies with the father of Jessica's friends. Again, no plans, just a relaxing Saturday.
Tomorrow starts off another busy week. Think I'll go to bed to get myself ready.
Yesterday the kids and I went to the beach to watch the rehearsal for the Air and Sea Show. Since I don't do crowds Friday was a good day to see some of the show and enjoy the beach. We had 6 families in our group with just enough children for everyone to play with. I counted 22 ranging from 10 months to 17 years. Around 5 we gathered up and rinsed off to go to dinner. Three of the fathers met us and we had a pleasant dinner at Bubba Gumps. One of the mom's was looking to help during our short walk to the restaurant so I gave her the task of being prepared to answer the question, "how many?" when we got to the restaurant.
Chace spent most of the time jumping off rocks into the water and catching sea creatures. Jessica and her group used their goggles to search and explore all the underwater excitement. Julian, poor Julian, she wasn't allowed to get her chin wet (Dr.'s orders) but we were at the beach and I didn't have the heart to be strict with her. So she spent more time in the water then she should have. I was more worried about sand then I was salt water with her injury.
We all came home tired and content and ready for a good nights sleep, after a shower of course.
Saturday and no plans, no parties, no games, no nothing. A first in how long??? By lunchtime it was Julian and I at the house by ourselves. So much for no plans. William went to the office to get some work done, Sonja went out with friends, Jessica went to run errands with friends and Chace ended up at a friend's house. At 10:30, I now have the three younger kids at home and in bed. Sonja is out with another group of friends and William is at the movies with the father of Jessica's friends. Again, no plans, just a relaxing Saturday.
Tomorrow starts off another busy week. Think I'll go to bed to get myself ready.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Julian's follow-up
William and Julian are back from her Dr. visit. She looks great and is down to only one piece of sterra-strip. The first bandaged was removed completely (and I'm so glad I wasn't there). The Dr. indicated she is healing nicely, there is no infection and the tape will be removed on Tuesday. She still can't get it wet but he OK'd our beach trip tomorrow. I think Julian was happy to get the old bandage off as it was peeling underneath and it was a lot more noticeable than the current one. The wound is closer to the front of the chin than I remember. Not sure if this will make the scar more noticeable later but am certain it won't bother Julian either way.
OK that's enough of that kind of talk. Yuck.
OK that's enough of that kind of talk. Yuck.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
May 2, 2007
The much talked about and long awaited picture of Chace with his white stripe on his orange belt. Ta Da
May 2, 2007
This picture was taken because this is the first time Rainey has snuggled up to Sonja. Rainey turns 18 this month so she does as she pleases when she pleases. The scowl on her face makes us wonder if she is so vain to say that her fur wasn't just right for the picture. It's hard to imagine that she is even older than Sonja!
Upon viewing the picture Julian exclaimed, "Oh good, you can hardly see my chin!" This might be the only picture we get of her bandaged up so thought I would include it in the blog.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
May 1, 2007
Hello and Happy May!!
We've started this new month with quite a bang! Today marks the first anniversary of the death of one of our cat's.
And that not being enough to deal with today, Julian allowed us a visit to the Urgent Care last night. The 5 of us were out to run errands, in fact we were at our first stop. The store had bars meant just for children to swing on, right? Only Julian ended flat on the floor with one shoe on. The other was a good 3 feet away assuring us in the short amount of time we were in the store she had gained some significant air in her swing. I thought she had the wind knocked out of her until a quarter size splat of blood fell onto the floor. Daddy grabbed her and I grabbed for tissues. Upon inspection I exclaimed, "we've got to go!" By God's grace we were within 2 blocks of the Urgent Care AND I remembered where it was.
William pulled up to the door and I carried her straight into a room. A nurse happened to be in the waiting area on his way to his car and he immediately opened three doors for us. Once through the second door the doctor stopped us long enough for a quick peak and ushered us right into room #2.
Julian was very frightened and almost hysterical. William got the older two busy keeping Chace away from any blood sightings. My time was coming though. The Staff was each fabulous with us and handled the situation with kid gloves and golden hearts. Julian was reassured that no needles would be involved. She ended up with tape or sterra stips or what we've named a chin cast which she finds uncomfortable and annoying.
When she was bandaged up she was instantly ready to leave; but there was no way I was standing up and staying upright. The blood and such had me a little light headed. William had nicely informed the staff to watch out for me and they frequently asked how I was doing. I was fine as long as I had my head to my knees. Then I noticed the Dr. was asking me questions and my first thought took me to many a splinters with dad digging and mom distracting me with conversation. But I soon realized he was asking medical questions so I knew I must be quite pale. Good grief. I profusely apologized for making this about me and not completely about Julian. I don't know how long it took me, I do know we were in and out in less than 1 1/2 hours and that I did NOT pass out.
In case you hadn't heard, 2 May's ago Chace had me in the ER with a similar injury. Being the only adult at home I handled the event wonderfully. It wasn't until the next day that I passed out when the injury was reopened.
OK so the Longs have had yet another eventful moment. May you laugh at my expense and pray for quick healing for Julian.
Julian has to be seen by the Dr. on Thursday and William will be taking her, not me. I will though update you on her progress.
We've started this new month with quite a bang! Today marks the first anniversary of the death of one of our cat's.
And that not being enough to deal with today, Julian allowed us a visit to the Urgent Care last night. The 5 of us were out to run errands, in fact we were at our first stop. The store had bars meant just for children to swing on, right? Only Julian ended flat on the floor with one shoe on. The other was a good 3 feet away assuring us in the short amount of time we were in the store she had gained some significant air in her swing. I thought she had the wind knocked out of her until a quarter size splat of blood fell onto the floor. Daddy grabbed her and I grabbed for tissues. Upon inspection I exclaimed, "we've got to go!" By God's grace we were within 2 blocks of the Urgent Care AND I remembered where it was.
William pulled up to the door and I carried her straight into a room. A nurse happened to be in the waiting area on his way to his car and he immediately opened three doors for us. Once through the second door the doctor stopped us long enough for a quick peak and ushered us right into room #2.
Julian was very frightened and almost hysterical. William got the older two busy keeping Chace away from any blood sightings. My time was coming though. The Staff was each fabulous with us and handled the situation with kid gloves and golden hearts. Julian was reassured that no needles would be involved. She ended up with tape or sterra stips or what we've named a chin cast which she finds uncomfortable and annoying.
When she was bandaged up she was instantly ready to leave; but there was no way I was standing up and staying upright. The blood and such had me a little light headed. William had nicely informed the staff to watch out for me and they frequently asked how I was doing. I was fine as long as I had my head to my knees. Then I noticed the Dr. was asking me questions and my first thought took me to many a splinters with dad digging and mom distracting me with conversation. But I soon realized he was asking medical questions so I knew I must be quite pale. Good grief. I profusely apologized for making this about me and not completely about Julian. I don't know how long it took me, I do know we were in and out in less than 1 1/2 hours and that I did NOT pass out.
In case you hadn't heard, 2 May's ago Chace had me in the ER with a similar injury. Being the only adult at home I handled the event wonderfully. It wasn't until the next day that I passed out when the injury was reopened.
OK so the Longs have had yet another eventful moment. May you laugh at my expense and pray for quick healing for Julian.
Julian has to be seen by the Dr. on Thursday and William will be taking her, not me. I will though update you on her progress.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
April 26, 2007
Hello! While I waited for Chace's karate picture to be downloaded onto the computer for me to add to the blog, time got away from me. Not a lot has gone on so you haven't missed much. This was the week William and I were to be in CA for a conference. The conference was canceled and so was our trip. I guess that explains why there wasn't much on the calendar.
The VBS shirts arrived in 9 boxes. William was kind enough to quickly package them up and get most of them to the church for storage. And that just now was another knock at the door; UPS bringing yet another box. His comment, "I see you've gotten rid of the other boxes." Pretty sad when the UPS guy knows what the inside of you home looks like.
I'll look for another good picture to add to this blog, but know that Chace's will appear soon. OK this picture has a story behind it, it's a hoot. Have you heard the story?
Friday, April 20, 2007
April 20, 2007
I notice my Blog times itself. Please know those times are inaccurate.
Last night I had my Red Cross First Aid training and I earned another 100% and am finished for another year or so.
We had snow yesterday. OK, so it was South Florida style snow; ASH. There was ash all over the vehicles and floating in the air. If you looked west the sky appeared violent. Looking east was beautiful with blue skies and minimal clouds. The sun had trouble poking through all the dark clouds to the west.
The kids have kept busy with school work and accomplished a lot. Think we'll reward them this weekend. Hmmm. We've kept up with housework also. That sounds like a good week to me!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
April 18, 2007
Chace has been doodling on the computer. We thought this chick was pretty cool. I'll give you one chance to guess the name of the file he keeps them in.
April 18, 2007
William and I (and Chace to the left) at the beach on Anna Maria Island. It was brrr cold that day. I follow that up with; there's no such thing as a bad day at the beach. Sonja took this picture on Saturday, April 7.
The cold weather followed us home and we've had wonderfully cool weather lately. And we still have our breeze. But we still haven't gotten enough rain to ward off a watering restrictions.
Julian has finally broken through with the charm on the neighbors. She spent yesterday afternoon playing out back with the neighbor girl of the family that moved in across the street. They've been here awhile but haven't been reachable. Today has been spent much the same way.
Chace has a belt try-out this weekend in karate. I believe he gets a stripe added to his belt; which I use to think that meant one didn't pass the test and have since learned it's a step (up) in the belting process. Am sure we'll be adding a picture with his grinning face soon.
Jessica went with two friends and the three girls' piano teacher to Billie Swamp Safari yesterday to view the alligators. The weather we've been having brought the reptiles out of the water so viewing was prime!
William just told me that the T-shirts for VBS will be delivered (here) Saturday. He estimated it would be 10 boxes. That's on top of the 600+ boxes already in my living room waiting for the shirts.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
April 14, 2007
That picture worked so I'll try another one. OH it worked. I wish I knew what I was doing differently when the picture isn't added. So for now you'll get pictures as I do the right thing at the right time, whatever that may be.
Friday, April 13, 2007
April 13, 2007 much later
having trouble here and stumbling and falling. I'm guessing someone somewhere has reaceived huge files with several pcitures of my children. Who knows?
April 13,2007
Friday and the week is over! Let me give you an update on this and that about the family.
Yesterday was Chace's birthday and now we're on the even years for all three younger children. I know they're getting older and bigger. Just last week I had to take the hem out of Chace's suit pants. Ultimately they needed shortened but I'm hoping he'll grow into the original length before he has to wear them again.
And then Jessica's growth reminder came when the children had her crutches out to play with. She was too tall (by at least 3 inches) for them. Unfortunately they are just about the right size for Julian now.
Tennis is over for Sonja; well regular season anyway. Hopefully her team made play-offs and we can watch her compete one more time.
Last night I had recertification for Red Cross life saving. I was rather nervous about the testing as it's been years since I've had to recall things other than stats on my kids. My game plan was to be the last one finished with the test so when the instructor announced my grade I would be the only one hearing the result. As it turned out I was the first one finished, UGH. By God's grace I got 100% so was OK with that being announced to my 10 other co-workers.
Our house is VBS central with over 600 boxes piled in the living room. Can't wait for the T-shirts to arrive. I guess that will number over 1000. William is neck deep into the VBS process and treading very well.
Sonja has downloaded pictures onto the computer so if I can figure it out, I'll add those to this blog.
Take care
Yesterday was Chace's birthday and now we're on the even years for all three younger children. I know they're getting older and bigger. Just last week I had to take the hem out of Chace's suit pants. Ultimately they needed shortened but I'm hoping he'll grow into the original length before he has to wear them again.
And then Jessica's growth reminder came when the children had her crutches out to play with. She was too tall (by at least 3 inches) for them. Unfortunately they are just about the right size for Julian now.
Tennis is over for Sonja; well regular season anyway. Hopefully her team made play-offs and we can watch her compete one more time.
Last night I had recertification for Red Cross life saving. I was rather nervous about the testing as it's been years since I've had to recall things other than stats on my kids. My game plan was to be the last one finished with the test so when the instructor announced my grade I would be the only one hearing the result. As it turned out I was the first one finished, UGH. By God's grace I got 100% so was OK with that being announced to my 10 other co-workers.
Our house is VBS central with over 600 boxes piled in the living room. Can't wait for the T-shirts to arrive. I guess that will number over 1000. William is neck deep into the VBS process and treading very well.
Sonja has downloaded pictures onto the computer so if I can figure it out, I'll add those to this blog.
Take care
Thursday, April 12, 2007
My first BLOG entry
OK, so I'm taking a leap here and starting a Blog. It does look pretty easy and I do enjoy reading others' blogs, I hope mine will be as fun and full of news for you.
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