Sammi

Sammi is our resident artist, who is always asking to do 'activities'. She can spend hours coloring or painting, and loves working on her letters.

She loves her panda and baking, and is always looking out for Jessie.

A little slower to greet strangers, but always running up to 'her' people at church for a hug, Sammi remembers in vivid details visits that she's had with friends, and is often praying for people we haven't seen in months.

Sweet, smiley, stubborn Sammi. We love you dearly!

Dear Thief

I wish I could talk to you, but I know I can pray for you. I must admit, my thoughts towards you Monday morning were harsh. As I saw my bank account being depleted by $1700 as I watched you make various purchases, I wanted justice. I was furious, and when I found out that you were going to pick up the merchandise Monday afternoon, I wanted you to be met by the police.

Then I remembered another thief. One who hung on the cross beside Jesus. And then I wanted more than just jail for you. I wanted you to know the One who forgives thief, such as yourself, such as myself. You see, we are all thieves, stealing from God the glory that is due him. We steal his time and worship that is due Him, because we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Yet, that is not where the story ends. Despite the fact that we are all rule-breakers, and all deserve eternal prison, through Christ, we are forgiven. He took the punishment of our sin, and in return gave us His righteousness, so it became like we never sinned at all, and rather had righteous garments. We are able to stand before our Judge and claim Christ's innocence. Not guilty (despite the fact that we are). And this is what I want for you - for you to be declared 'not guilty' on the final day. I pray that this sin might get you caught in order that you might come to know Him.

Praying for you,

the credit card holder.

Emma

Emma is our imp, our quick-to-smile, loving little girl who is always trying to keep Sammi happy. Emma is generous, preferring for everyone to be happy, and quick to think of people that need a card or an extra hug. This little extrovert loves Sundays, having people over and babysitters. Emma is detail-oriented, quickly noticing the difference between a 'Q' and 'O', and has picked up on her letters quickly and easily, without even seeming to try.

Emma loves getting her picture taken, often asking for a picture and then giving this huge cheesy grin. She has been wearing this princess dress for the last 6 days, taking it off only for meals. She talks with her hands, and loves to take care of her 'babies', teaching them bible stories and singing songs to them. She prefers apples to brownies, and would rather talk than eat. She is a lover of books and legos and letters. We love you Emma!

Jessie

I know I've been posting a lot about Jessie lately. No, she's not our favorite :) (we don't have one!) It's just because I've been working on her baby album, and the deadline is Saturday so I've been pouring over 22 months of pictures mixed with medical records, weight gains, calendars of first steps and words, and I'm amazed at God's goodness. As with all our kids, it continues to boggle my mind that our great God would bless us with three wonderful, healthy girls. It amazes me that from day 1 God provides in amazing ways, allowing them to grow and providing us with the strength to parent them in the good and the difficult ways. Parenting Jessie has made me far more aware of my weakness and sinfulness. She has humbled me and made me pray often, and I'm thankful for it. For this kind of parenting reminds me over and over again of 2 Corinthians 12:9:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Thank you Lord for my weakness and your power, so God is glorified and I am strengthened.

God is good!

Bok choy, tatsoi and turnips -oh my!

So, we've decided to participate in something called a CSA, or community sponsored agriculture. Basically the farm down the road sells shares, and every week we get 1/352 of the weekly produce the farm pulls out of the fields. Normally CSA's run for around 25 weeks during the spring/summer, and this farm does that as well, but they offer an additional 6 week extension, and I thought it would be a great trial to see if I liked the weekly commitment and the prescribed foods. And I do.

Cooking with mizuna and lemon grass makes me feel brave.

Carrying a large box of veggies home every week makes me feel healthy.

Even if neither are true :)

And while I think of taking a picture every week, I haven't. So instead, I'll end with a picture of my girls.

Jessie

Our little Jess-meister. Is. A. Ham. A quick to giggle, grab her sisters by the waist to physically remove the obstacle, disliker-of-sleep little girl. Her grin is infectious. A mere 9 lbs lighter than her older sisters, she keeps up with them more and more by the day. And they love her, calling her "Jessa", "Jess", "Jessie-Lynn" and "Jessie-Jessie". This little tornado has more nick-names than I could have thought possible when naming her, but her personality is big enough to handle the multiple names. And we love her to bits! She currently loves animals and babies, and going for walks. She loves fairy wings, and is a sugar-jukie. She begs to sleep with her sisters, but often is awake long after they our. She is the feeder of Jack, the instigator of trouble and a perpetual joy.

These little girls are so full of joy. We decided to take the kids around the cul-de-sac for trick-or-treating, and then have them help us hand out candy. This was something I wrestled with, for I know the many arguments against it. After wrestling with it, I was so glad we did it. We got to meet so many of the neighbors, and spent time talking with them. Our neighborhood is known to be a good place to go, so we got lots of visitors, and ended up talking with many of the parents as we sat on the front porch. The girls did a great job of handing out candy, and only handed it to us to hand out when the really scary people came around :) Most of our guests were little kids and parents, and we saw many fairies, princesses and super heros. And the girls loved it, and did a great job of being generous. What an opportunity we would have missed, and we look forward to seeing these neighbors again. What a unique community God has placed us in! Many people who have no family around and are desperate for community. What an opportunity! Now just to get to work!

Done and done

.. and my fingerprinting is done, my background check to the board, the license verification and my dues are paid.... my application to the Maryland board of nursing is officially done. When I began the process, it was looking like a nightmare. Michigan was one of the only states that wouldn't verify licenses through the national "Nursys" online verification program, Maryland didn't like Michigan nurses and I would have needed to get my transcripts from McMaster, my volunteer hours needed to be verified and I needed to wait 4 hours at a police station to get manually fingerprinted...

BUT!!

Praise God, he supplied in a million ways. In the last 4 weeks

*Michigan came online so a simple click-click and my verification was done

*Maryland application came online so a simple click-click and my application was done

*Maryland allowed for independent defense contractors to do live-fingerprinting, meaning a visit to Baltimore to get fingerprinted and as we did it, my prints were sent to the FBI and police databases, and the results sent to Maryland board within 72 hours.

*Maryland allowed a verbal, "Did you work 1000 hours in the last 5 years" with no paper documentation required.

Praise God for all these little but not so little blessings.

SOOO!!! The excitement of job-searching begins!

-s

Sisters

32 years

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! Praising God for 32 years of marriage for you both. We are all so thankful for the rich legacy you have taught your children and grandchildren through words and action. Your faith is evident to all. Thank you for giving us a front row seat to what a godly marriage looks like!

Thanksgiving

I have so many reasons to give thanks. My believing family, both immediate and extended are constantly amazing to me, as well as three little girls who love to sing and giggle and a husband who loves us all and serves his family with joy. We have been blessed with another wonderful church family who seeks to bless us over and over again -far more than we could ever imagine. The girls have been sick for the last two weeks and someone dropped off some soup, salad, bread AND an apple pie, just because. The session loved the pie, which was a true blessing because the pumpkin roll I had attempted earlier was less than lovely :)

On the plus side, the "Croup Chair" set up on the porch wasn't used last night, and we slept from 1-7! Emma's mostly recovered, Sammi is in the thick of it and Jessie is just starting. She's been sleeping in our room so we can keep an eye on her and it is heartbreaking to hear her cough, then whimper and they moan, "owie". We're thankful that we've managed to avoid ER again, thankful for beautiful nights and shifts of cuddling on the porch. For the last week, Sammi has had the first shift around 9 (porch light on, sit on bench). Emma comes around 11 (porch light off, camp chair). Jessie's fever and cough spike around 3 (porch light off, camp chair) and then Sammi wakes up again around 5:30 (porch light on, special blanket, camp chair). Sammi gets very, very particular when she's sick, and has nightmares. Emma gets very quiet and cuddly, just wanting to be held. Jessie whimpers constantly and wants to be held. She loves to be cuddled but finds it impossible to fall asleep in our bed. It was kind of hilarious to watch her try to snap her fingers, clap her hands and tickle Francis at 2:30 am.

Thankfully, we're on the mend, and hopefully by Sunday we'll be able to get out and worship. The kids have been going a little stir crazy, so we've been reading a lot of books, going for walks around the neighborhood, sitting on the porch, and lots of Dora.

Thankfully our girls have immune systems that fight infection. Thankfully a temporary virus is the worst of our health concerns. Thankfully we've got nutritious food to help them heal. Thankfully we have a home, good health care and a great cuddling couch. Thankfully we've got a Father who loves our kids, and has answered prayers for extra patience and healing. Thankfully our girls are healing. Thankfully we are His, and have been adopted through Christ. Thankful.

Croup stinks

So, we had our first ER visit last night. Not bad for 9 cumulative kid years. And yes, I panicked. Something about your little girl not being able to breath kind of kills whatever rational thought is in your head. Poor little Emma woke up honking like a goose, completely unable to catch her breath. A few minutes of steam didn't work, but the cold van-ride to the ER did. Of course by the time we got there, she was doing much better, but I'm still glad we went in. I'd rather leave the assessments to the professionals, particularly when I'm the frazzled parent. That frees me up to be the parent -to cuddle and comfort, and just be mom.

Emma was very brave. We had a med student practice assessments on her (at 1 am), and Emma let her poke and listen and look in her ears 3x. Of course, motrin and corticosteroids did help her mood. "I like to breathe, mom!" "Breathing is important, isn't it?" Lots of little nuggets of wisdom in a hospital from our little imp who is always asking, "Canwe take a picture of this?"

So today will be full of baths, motrin and Dora, as all three are running fevers and coughing. Cuddle time on the couch with books will be enjoyed by all. And maybe tomorrow we'll resume our normal programming. But for today, we'll enjoy the quiet.

5 Months

Five months ago today, we were looking like this. A little homeless, with all our worldly possessions stuffed into a u haul. But we were taken in by a family from church, and I got to nurse Francis and Sami back to health in a home with a washing machine and bathtub. We were so thankful, and got to enjoy some forced rest between moving out and moving in.

There were days at the park, walks through the fields, trips to the library, and even a few trips to the 'new house' to clean. A week later, we got to move in.

Fast forward 5 months, many visitors and a wonderful summer and here we are. We thoroughly enjoyed our summer. A whirlwind of guests and vacation and swimming. And now comes September with all it's commitments. And surprisingly, it's felt sad. The reality of our 'new' has come to hit us in the face, with new Sunday school teachers, new bible study leaders and new formats for things we've always assumed.

Since we've been here 5 months, it feels like we should be over this, and everything should be okay. But in some ways, we were okay when it wasn't feeling different, when we weren't trying to fit in a new system, or be pinched by a fit that is going to take a little bit to know our place in. There are new songs to learn, a new teacher to learn to love, and routines to establish. The carefree days of summers delayed the adjustment, and now we're missing our 'home' more than ever. But we will adjust. It will become normal. New loves and new favorites will be made.

But missing is allowed too. My heart has broken several times over as I've heard two little girls crying in the back seat on the way home from Bible study. "I miss Mrs. H." "Why don't we have singing time?" "Where is Mrs. T?" "Why don't they sing trust and obey?" While it hurts all of us to grieve our lost normal, it is okay to grieve. It is okay to be sad about these things. I need to let us be sad about this while we find our new favorites, because God has put special people in our lives in Michigan, and we need to thank God for those relationships by missing them. And God has put special people in our lives in Maryland, and we are getting to know them, and when we leave here, we will miss them too. And one day there will be no more missing people, no more sadness or tears. And we look forward to that day, and use our tears to remind us that this isn't our Home. Praise God for these moments.

But in the meantime, we're two weeks closer to normal. And we're thankful.

Jessie-Lynn

This little girl is a curly-haired, thunder-and-sunshine, light-of-our-lives. She brings joy (and frustration) with her persistence, her insistence on her abilities, her desire to keep up with her sisters. She giggles, has learned how to run, and as of last week, has begun to eat. In the last week alone, her diet has grown to include pears, kiwi, peaches, chicken, green pepper, carrots, grapes and peas. Samantha and Emma were sitting at the table whispering, "Don't look now, but Jessie's actually eating!" and "Don't get too excited, but she just picked up her fork!"

Our music loving dancer, who loves to stand on the chair so she can see her reflection in the kitchen window, who has no fear of standing on the table, who is crazy over animals of all kinds, who has developed a love for play-dough and crayons -is a crazy little imp. Just look at that grin! It reveals the trouble she can get into!

Fair Days

This is the week where Francis is in Texas, and me and the gals are making memories, so we started off the week with a bang - the Frederick Fall Fair. According to the weather report, today promised to be the only dry day this week, so despite bad tempers, and Monday morning grumps, we decided to head out. The girls did great, and were very obedient and walked and walked and walked. We got to see newborn calves, chicks and ducks, lots of rabbits, goats and puppies. We were introduced to the "most adorable twins" - a pair of calves born a few weeks ago, and when we got home, I overheard a conversation between another pair of adorable twins.

"Hi, Twin.... you are just sooooo sweet!"

"I love you too, Twin. My, aren't you adorable!"

And then, "Mom. Did you know that we're still twins even when we aren't wearing the same clothes. We'll always be twins. For ever and ever, amen." I love these little girls!

Singed hair smells really bad

alternately titled: the things we do for our kids.

So. I had this great idea. Found on a preschool website. For this little girl.

Unfortunately, great ideas still need to be thought through, well. I forgot that 3 tablespoons (doubled to six) of rubbing alcohol is still alcohol. I forgot that alcohol is used to make things 'en flambe'. I forgot that our oven seals very, very well. I forgot that when I open the oven, it adds an oxygen source, and heat+alcohol+oxygen= big blue ball of flame. We praise God that I was wearing my glasses, that the kids were in bed, that there were no serious injuries. It could have been so much worse (hair and eyebrows are just a small casualty).

This was the finished project. And they loved it! They poured and measured and buried fingers for 20 minutes (which is an extended period of time in toddler-world!)

Jessie, especially, loved the feel of rice. I've been trying to come up with more sensory activities for this child, and she kept asking me to pour rice into her hand. Her little body just sat perfectly still, mesmerized while I lined up the funnel over her hand, and the rice poured down into her palm. Then it would empty and she would bounce and shake her arms until I filled it up, and lined it up again. It was worth it. (and the next day we did it, but allowed the green rice to dry out in the sun. Much better idea :)

Ahhh...

Finally, our home has a piano again. We've all missed it, and have already enjoyed this baby (we've had it for 15 hours :). It was being sold by a lady who inherited it after her mother died, and none of her kids are playing, so the piano, only 10 years old, is in mint condition. Granted, it needs tuning, but we got it for approximately 1/4 of what a local piano store is selling it for, and more importantly, it sounds beautiful! She admitted she didn't have a clue what to sell it for, but after receiving 6 class in the first few hours it was posted, realized she should have charged more. But, she's glad we will be enjoying it, and we're glad she didn't raise the price :) Music/noise is ringing through the house again!

Thunder Rocks

So, Hurricane Irene is starting to hit this area, and with it has come lots of thunder. When I commented on it this morning, Sammi's response, "Don't worry, Mom. That's just Thunder Rocks." "You mean the Thunder Rocks in Allegany State Park?" "Yup. No worries, mom, it's just the rocks." It's funny how their brains work!

(the picture is us sitting atop a huge Thunder Rock. I am thankful for a husband who is braver than I, and willing to push us all to take some risks. The girls loved it!)

Because one day we will laugh...

Oh the dinner time battles we have! Yes, those are Francis strong arms as Jessie looks up at him, trying to smile at him until he gives in. But he does not. And the thunderclouds roll in. And then, once she's eater her required-one bite, Francis recedes, and she's sunshine again, and voluntarily eats another bite. This child is infuriatingly stubborn with a strong aversion to food, especially at dinner time. So our most recent attempt to get her to eat consists of making her eat one bite of everything on her plate, and then she can eat/or not eat (as is her more common choice). So we'll battle on for a little anyways, and see where this goes. In the meantime, she'll exist on peanut butter sandwiches, and carnation breakfast essentials :) And we hope she'll outgrow it.

16

Our old church lost a girl this week. A 16 year old girl. Suddenly, on her way home from the fair. 16 short years. My heart has been heavy for the family this week. Praying for her parents who are planning for a funeral, instead of planning which college she should go to. To her brother who is suddenly an only child for the first time in his life. Her classmates and friends who are suddenly finding things quieter. Her grandmother who normally brings her to dance and singing lessons. So many people who never got to say goodbye. So many dreams for the future that will never be here on this earth. My heart is grieved, and my mind mourned the unrealized dreams and potential.

And then I remembered that in some way, Gabby is already living her potential. She's living the dreams that all parents have for their children - that they believe in Jesus Christ, and one day they will spend eternity with their God. The first question of the Westminster Catechism is "What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever." Gabby made profession of faith, and readily praised God in any way she could. So in some senses, she is continuing perfectly what she began here. And glorifying God forever, and she is perfectly and completely happy.

So while I pray for Gabby's family, and for my girls, I remember that we don't mourn as those who have no hope. And we don't plan as those who have no eternity. So as parents, we pray and we plan, and we wrestle and we rest.

God is still God, and God is still good. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Helping unload groceries... gypsy Jessie

Wisdom from Emma

Me: Okay... we're looking for the ground cloves and the ginger. Oh look, they are right next to each other. Perfect!

Emma: How sweet! It's like Sammi and Emma, because they love each other!

Emma: Mom, I need some more raisins!

Me: But I just gave you some!

Emma: Oh, Mommy... I just had to give them to Jack! He was just being sooo KIND this morning...

Emma: Anytime a dog isn't feeling well, you just need to give him watermelon. Watermelon always makes them feel better. Jack was looking a little sad, so I gave him some. Okay?

"Opening up a can with tin snips is NEVER a good idea!"

I love this little girl!

Giggles

Oh how I love these little girls, and their daddy who makes us all laugh :)

Frederick

Moving. It is so easy to get lost in the unpacking of boxes, putting up of blinds and attacking the jungle out back. We have arrived at a most beautiful time of year, however, and the littles in our life help keep us focused. The boxes will wait, but the children won't. And so, we headed out for a walk last monday morning, found a new favorite library and fed some ducks. The unpacking re-commenced during nap-time :)