Some missing links -

How those weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas get swallowed up is beyond me. The week before Thanksgiving I was busily preparing to surprise my mom by showing up on her doorstep with three kids so I remember  where that week went...

We were given an amazing gift that allowed us to go to NH while my dear husband worked over that holiday. While the 15 hours  to NH and the 18 hours from NH did take a toll on me, I would do it again in a heartbeat. This new life we have taken on will involve many such days of long drives that are made much shorter by the mere fact that at the other end of that loooooong highway (oh, Interstate 90.... My feelings are very mixed towards you!) and so the time has come to embrace the holidays of driving and also of keeping many miles between us and those we hold closest to us.

As a surprise to me, mom and dad had seen Jake, Abby and Lucy and they came over for a visit while we were there. "Noni" is what I have decided to be in lieu of Grannie, Grandma, or MeeMaw (right?!) because I remain firmly convinced that anyone under the age of 35 should not have to answer to name implying such vast years. Or wisdom!

AprilJayne turns 3

It hardly seems possible that our baby is three years old! While it is cliche to say "It seems like just yesterday..." the events leading up to and surrounding Rilla's birth were so unusual for us and so full of grace, turmoil, and learning I am sure I will never forget that season of life.

Lately Rilla has been telling me that once she turns three she would be taking the next life changing step of going to college. Why not? Her big brother, big sister and Daddy are all in college- seems logical to me!

At the ripe old age of three, our daughter loves to sing the ABC's, looking for the letter "R" whenever we are out for a drive, sings her babies to bed at night, has left board books behind for real picture books, knows where household, cleaning and craft items belong in our home better than any of the males we live with, still naps for two hours a day and hasn't worn a pull-up to bed in two weeks so I consider her completely potty trained.  She adores her baby dolls, bosses her brothers around and whines at the drop of a hat. Her laugh is infectious and she is a source of joy to everyone. We are so very thankful for her.

It was a full day and she nodded off to sleep a little while ago, kindly giving me some time to clean up after the whirlwind that accompanies any group of preschoolers hopped up on pink birthday cake.

Just like 1999

Walking into the building this morning at 8:30 after my second round trip to the boys' school (Gabe forgot his trumpet - again-) who should I see driving through the parking lot but my old friend and roommate, Bethany (Stroud) Potter! What?! 

She works at NTM headquarters in Sanford FL and although we did see one another a couple years ago while I was visiting Jackson, it's been a long time!

We grabbed a quick chat in the student center with Tamara and a couple other gals.

So this one is for all of you who remember Bethany, Tamara and I from the 90's... Before kids, stretch marks and gray hair!

Prepping for the birthday girl

It's almost eleven and I am about to leave to get John; him having to work late gave me ample time to get the ball rolling for Rilla's birthday tomorrow- baking the pink cake, and the chocolate cupcakes for those who may not be so inclined, putting up balloons and a streamer- I have decided balloons really give the most bang for your buck when decorating for a toddler! Having spent all of $2 on decorations I still think she will love it--

No kidding

One of the teachers here, Rex G ( who incidentally was here long before my first time here as a student) is not only a support raising missionary in order to be here, he happens to pastor a church about 40 minutes away. I have never been there, actually did not know he is pastor; last week he put notices in each of the "marrieds" mailboxes letting us know his church had some groceries they had collected for all the married students here at the BI. This is the 15 th year they have done it. We don't know a soul at that church, except for Rex and his wife, but just walked into a room FULL of groceries for each of the 12 or so families. Having never been in a place in our lives where grocery concerns even hit the radar, this is a new and very amazing experience for me. I have learned in the short time that I am here that without having times where I honestly did not know what I would be able to put together for a meal ( not to be dramatic here -! We never missed any meals or anything but there comes a time when the food in the pantry doesn't add up to a dinner or school lunch, because it just doesn't form a meal; there's food for sure but somehow it doesn't create something when it's all put together-) I would never be able to see how God chooses to provide for us when we are not even looking, or even asking, for it. 

Just wanted to document this; we all need things to look back on when those days come, which they are sure to. 

Euro Market

The hunt for tvorog began last month when I found out Natasha had a birthday coming up, as well as a hankering for some good old fashioned Russian food. After many googles I thought maybe I'd found just what we needed to make an authentic Russian dessert for my friend, so today we loaded up the kids and Tina, Natasha and I headed to Ann Arbor and the inauspicious "Euro Mart."

Mmmmm...

Thumbs up for Saturday morning pancakes! (Or in Rilla's case, four fingers up!) Blueberry, chocolate chunk and for the less daring, plain.