Too much energy

  We are still adjusting to the fact that it is wet, muddy and a cooler climate.  The boys have had a lot of extra energy most days since we have so few chances to really get outdoors for some fresh air and some running. 
Today, Jake woke up wired with energy.  So, after breakfast we sent him through a workout...and, of course, Joe couldn't just stand by and watch!

The boys did get to burn off the rest of their energy at the High School pool today when we got together with past swimmers for a little water polo action.  The water was flat out cold for the boys' (or mom's) liking.  But they stayed active...non-stop...the whole time they were in the water! And they loved it!

Home Sweet Home

  Well, things are looking a little different at the house.  After an afternoon of shoveling debris out of the house, Josh and I were standing outside for a breather (literally seeking fresh air).  We were standing, gazing out across the farmland with the wind being the only sound we heard...except for the siding that is falling off the house which happened to be squeaking annoyingly.  After trying to ignore the sound for a bit, we both happened to glance up at the flapping siding. I couldn't help but say..."Home sweet home, huh?!"
  Needless to say, we got back to work...

 These views are mainly from the two upstairs bedrooms that had a bathroom in the second bedroom. You had to enter the 2nd bedroom from the first.  They were both brown paneling originally. You'll also see the fireplace that extends from the first floor that was housed in a double framed wall.

The next victim...upstairs bedroom 3

(it used to be all white paneling with the corner cabinet you can barely see to the left in this picture)

2 weeks later...

   Well, what a difference a few days can make!  The upstairs is hardly recognizable in the house.
Highlights...
--Josh and Jack have pretty much gutted 2 of the rooms...floor to ceiling.
--Jack found a probable 100 year old wrench between the walls.
--Jake has learned how to help pry nails out of the lumber we've taken out of the house.
--Joe saying, "Papa, why you make smoke?" after Papa moved while in the barn and a puff of plaster    dust followed his movement.
--Josh and Jack each got vehicles stuck in the mud (on separate days) in the yard...!  Good thing we had the tractor nearby to help pull out!
--Joe got his foot stuck in the mud as the boys played in a muddy spot...and walked/ran right out of his boot, set his foot on the ground and called for help.  We had to put the muddy socked foot back in the boot because mom brought everything except back up shoes!

The 10 days of Christmas...

  I've realized that somehow I don't quite feel like it is Christmas that has come and gone...maybe because we aren't in our own house this year.  But on top of that, we had 4 rounds of opening gifts...each one special...but a bit overwhelming for me since I grew up with one round on Christmas day! :)
  However, we enjoyed the fun of each.  It was priceless to hear Joe say "thank you" when he heard someone say a gift was FROM him. Oh, and who would have thought that Jake and Joe would be more excited about the camo gift bags that Aunt Rachel and Uncle Eric put their gifts in than the gift itself?  And how is it that kids get away with helping open other people's gifts?

  So, the 10 days of Christmas stems from the boys being told Christmas day is Dec 25.  Then, we had to have Christmas with Rachel and Eric the weekend before Christmas.  And we decided to open our own gifts on Wednesday since we'd be at Grammie n Grandpa's on Friday to Monday for Christmas.  And, there were the gifts exchanged at Josh's Aunt and Uncle's. So, by the Thursday before Christmas, the boys were more interested in when Christmas Day was because they were catching on to the fact that it meant more presents to open.  Papa replied one time (after a confused question by Jake about when Christmas was) with, "Well, tomorrow will be your 8th day of Christmas!".

 Jake's favorites...lots of gifts

  Joe's favorites...cake, presents, and Jake's saws ("but I can't use them yet")!  Joe was pretty excited about the birthday cake for Jesus when he caught wind of that!  He kept asking when we would get to sing and he wondered if we'd blow out candles. (Of course, he was just excited about the cake itself!)

  My favorite was the 2 hours of time (via Skype) that we got to "hang out" and open presents with my sister and Andy on Christmas Day.  If we had tried to plan the time any more than we did, it probably wouldn't have been as perfect as it seemed to be!  I truly felt like we had them at the house for a couple hours even though they were in Boulder, Colorado and we were in East Tennessee!  Oh and I'm pretty sure all I did for 3 days at my parent's house was eat...and I mean eat!  It was awesome!

  Josh's favorites...relaxing and getting to spend time with family. (a seemingly generic statement, but he really has been busy and "away" from family a lot lately...so we were glad to spend time with him, too) I think he also enjoyed singing at our old church on Christmas Eve.

  On our way home from Tennessee, we enjoyed stopping outside Cincy at the Creation Museum for a Live Nativity.  The Bethlehem marketplace, replicated census, model "inn" with Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus, live animals, and thousands of lights along the nature trail and pond were well worth the leg stretch that it provided.

  Overall, the best quote came from Joe as we returned to Mama and Papa's. We got home late Monday night, but two hours after Joe woke up Tuesday morning he suddenly said, "Hey, Christmas is all gone!" I guess it took him 2 hours to notice the Christmas tree and all the decorations were gone!
Memories...
ROUND 1: (with Mama, Papa, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Eric)

 Round 2 : (Just the four of us...)

ROUND 3: (with Grammie and Grandpa...and skypeing with Aunt Jen and Andy)

 ROUND 4: (gifts from Jim, Sherry, Josh, Melissa, Ashley and Brad)

The story of our house...(a long but good one)

   We closed on our house yesterday...which sounds like a common occurrence.  But for us, there is a neat story behind this house.
   You see, almost 6 years ago, Josh was planning to flip a house in Greensburg.  When he went to get a loan, he discovered (via the bank) that there were several liens filed against him and against his dad by the state of Indiana for failure to pay taxes on their businesses.  What the state of Indiana apparently didn't catch onto was that Josh had been out of business for several years, including the time his dad was being penalized (for when his dad had re-opened a danish shop in the same building).  So, Josh and his dad had to take paperwork to the proper people in Indianapolis and get it cleared up.  Well, of course, a mistake like this can't be cleared up that simply...Josh's credit has been ruined for years and will not be cleared until the 7 year time frame has passed.
    Meanwhile, long story short, we moved away from Indiana a few months after this discovery. We were able to purchase a home in Tennessee (having sold ours in Indiana very quickly...which is another great story as well--for another time) and get cleared for a small loan because of Josh's employment.  However, we were unable to get a home equity line of credit later (to do some changes to the house)...which was when we realized we felt stuck.
    Josh resigned from his job in 2009 and has managed to make money via ebay sales and other odd jobs here and there for periods of time.  We tried to sell our house in TN in '09 to the spring of '10 with no luck.  We realized if we sold the house, we'd have to find something within the range of profit on our house sale because there would be no way to get additional funds from the bank.
    Then in August of 2011, we felt spurred to move to Indiana. Although it seemed like a sudden decision, God had been preparing the steps (as usual) and we had peace in the massive amount of uncertainty (like...are there any jobs?).  We trusted...and God led.  While working on a re-model job, Josh thought to contact the swim team in Greensburg (where we had worked before leaving Indiana).  One thing led to another, and after we had already put our house on the market, Josh landed a job coaching swimming again in Greensburg.
    Next, we were concerned about selling the house...knowing we had to be in Indiana by Nov. 1.  If we couldn't sell the house, we would have to rent it to make money over a 2-3 year period before being able to buy something (since we couldn't get a loan).  Or...should we just leave it empty and hope it sells sooner than later?  Oh yeah, how about all those foreclosures about to hit the market. That could hinder ANY sale of a house...so should we rent it or sell it for pennies just to sell it? I definitely had to trust God and pray every time that anxious feeling started to rise in me with all of the "what if's" and the "how in the world's".
    When we had our house on the market the previous year, we had like 4 showings a week...but nobody was interested with even a hint of an offer for the many months on the market.  This time, once on the market, we had very few showings, but we managed to have a couple strong interests that kept us hopeful right away...while trying not to get our hopes up too much, ya know.
    Just about the time I reached my "whatever" moment...and let go of the worry within the situation...should have known...that's when God started to really work.  Why?  Because I don't think I'm in control anymore...and I quickly see evidence that God is fully in control.
   So, Josh had gone to Indiana for a couple days to sign employment papers and take a load of our belongings to his parents' house.  Some folks came to look at the house Saturday and the next day at church our realtor let us know they asked to see disclosures...which made us hopeful of a greater interest (while trying not to be too hopeful!)
   On Tuesday, they made an offer...and after a couple counter-offers, we had sold the house by Thursday.  The whole selling price was a faith walk in itself since we were forced to take such a loss on the house...pricing it to sell (for a huge loss at that price due to the market) and still having to negotiate below that for greater loss.  But, the peace like a river that passes our understanding was present...and I couldn't worry.  I kept reminding myself that God is completely aware of this and has been since Creation!
   So, then we had to wait 3 short weeks for the closing...which is never certain in this day and age.  So, again, lots of trusting and letting God be in control here! :)  I must mention, too, that the closing the buyers requested was the same time frame we were planning to be on our way to Indiana.  Need I say it? ...God is in control!

   Fast-forward...we packed, closed on the house, and moved to Josh's parent's house on Friday, Oct. 28.  Josh started coaching on Monday, Oct 31.  And we began house-hunting right away, of course. I have to admit that after loading and then unloading all our stuff, the idea of moving again didn't delight me and I actually found myself hoping we didn't find anything too fast so that I wouldn't have to turn around and re-load everything!  Selfish, I know! :)  But I was exhausted, too!
   So, Josh and I drove up and down streets, found some places of interest, but nothing was seeming "just right".  However, after a few weeks Josh's dad had come across this old farmhouse north of town on 2.5 acres...with a large pole barn.  I hadn't understood at first where the property was, but after a couple weeks I took interest in it. Jack had thought of Rachel and Eric (Josh's sister and husband), but I told Josh I wanted to take a look. (Turns out Rachel and Eric weren't interested.)
   The house was a foreclosure...needing a good amount (like lots and lots...and lots) of work.  But, if one can see beyond the visible to what it can become (much like God does with me daily), it's a gem.  However, we knew there was someone with an offer on the house, waiting for a government loan approval.  We didn't hold our breaths...but Josh and Jack both contacted the realtor with interest.
   Josh had asked another realtor (who had been keeping Josh informed of foreclosures) to let him know if this house went back on the market. Well, in true God fashion, on Thanksgiving night Josh got an email stating this house was back on the market. By now, we had had time to think about the property and we felt like it was a very promising option (if you're still reading at this point...here are a few of the perks---3 miles from town, 2600 sq ft., lots of land, a huge pole barn, woods behind, farmland around...does it get better...oh yeah, the asking price was really low). So, we set up a time to look at the house on Saturday, made an offer on Sunday, and accepted the counter-offer (half of what we had total to work with) on Tuesday.  That left us with half the profit on our home in Tennessee to gut the house and make it what we desired it to be. (Oh wait, that was exactly what we were hoping to do...find a cheap "needing fix-up" house, gut it to the floor plan we wanted, and make it our own.  Funny that God knew the desire of our hearts and blessed us!!!!)
   Three weeks later, we paid cash for our home and still have cash to fix it up...oh, and---this is the best part--- we will be living debt free...which was the ultimate desire of our hearts!  Now you tell me, is God faithful, loving, generous, and worth trusting?  I can honestly say that this process (from 2006 to present) is not at all how I would have brought us to where we are right now.  In fact, my solution to the desire to be debt free always involved finding some way to use a chunk of money (coming from who knows where) to reach that goal.  However, the timing from Thanksgiving to Christmas has been no irony in setting the tone for this blessing.  Wow, God is truly bigger than I've let Him be!

   So, today...we went to our "new" house, walked around, felt overwhelmed by the amount of work needing to be done, talked about where to start...and found the most comfortable place to start!  We stood in the front room (which we think will eventually be part of the family room) and prayed.  With tears of joy and praise to God, we prayed for the blessing of our home and land to be a revolving door of blessing to whomever walks into our home.  Our boys hugged each other and us and kissed each other and us as we held them during our prayer, but Josh and I already have visions of making it a place for our kids, other kids, you, and whomever else to hang out and have a place to be!  While we were prepared to massively downsize and live in a much smaller space (willing to make it work), God said, "Nope, look what I have for you!"  And we stand in awe...


   Now, here are some pics I took today.  Not sure you can truly see how bad the inside is, but the plaster walls will be ripped out.  We'll try to salvage as much wood trim as we can (which after looking at it today, will create its own challenge) to keep an authentic look.  And who knows what all will happen.  Enjoy the views...(seriously, the camera makes this all look good! and you can't smell the stagnant smell inside)...

looking at the front door and stairway/hallway

the future family room (looks east out window)

rest of family room

future play room/school room/craft room (to the right of front hallway)

future family room (currently a separate room) on west side (see the barn in the window)

another view (green bathroom will be removed)

future dining room (on west side...see the barn)

current kitchen (a 17x15 space)...view to the east thru window

opposite view of kitchen...which will be open to dining room hopefully

upstairs bedroom 1

bedroom 1 from opposite view (to stair/hallway and to 2nd bedroom)

2nd bedroom (see barn in window)

current 3rd bedroom...which will probably be josh's office

another view of 3rd bedroom

from the back (SE) corner of the lot...looking toward the road

in the barn from the mandoor

in the barn looking back at mandoor

from the other side of the property (we think) looking NE (among the black raspberry patch :)

Stay tuned for updates!

Thanks for taking the time to read and to look at the pictures!

An eyeball in my nose

Today was a dreary afternoon...too wet to play outside before church.  So, the boys worked on these 3-D crafts...a snowman and a reindeer.

However, what started out as a fun winter craft, turned into a 2+ hour ordeal.  

   While on Mama's lap working on his craft, Joe decided to stick one of the plastic eyeballs up his nose.  It wasn't in very far, but of course the first instinct is to suck air up...taking the object up further, too.  And, when I pulled out tweezers to try to get it (since it still wasn't very far in), that got Joe worked up, crying, and...sucking snot/air up his nose.  So, that further took the eyeball up his nose to a pretty lodged spot.
   When I stated that we were going to need to go to the hospital to have help getting it out, both boys broke into sobbing cries.  And that didn't help anything. 
   Mama called Aunt Rachel, the nurse, for any ideas.  After trying several things for over an hour, nothing was loosening it.  Aunt Rachel headed our way since she was on her way to work anyway.  She had a tool that would allow her to try to grab it out of his nose...but would Joe stay still enough?  At this point, I explained to Joe what Aunt Rachel would be doing (trying to prep him). Then I explained that if we couldn't get it out, we'd have to go to the hospital.  I hoped this would help him understand what was going on, help him stay more still, and help him know this was an important option.  As a mom, I was sure he wouldn't stay still enough, that he would get hurt because he would jerk, and that we would end up at the hospital anyway because it was lodged so far back in his nose. (I feared they would have to put Joe under just to get it out and I feared they would have to push it in to go down his throat instead of being able to pull it out...which could have some bad results, too.)

   Josh came home shortly after Rachel arrived. We tried a couple of times to have me hold Joe's legs and arms while Josh held his head still and Rachel had the flashlight and tool.  However, Joe got so anxious about the object up his nose and was jerking and crying...which also caused problems seeing up his nose.  I walked around with Joe and explained that our only other option was to go to the hospital.  I tried to gently explain the urgency of the situation and the importance that Rachel help him.  By now, it was almost 2 1/2 hours later.  So, I was really losing hope...and Joe was now stating he was tired (he didn't take a good nap today) and wanted to sleep.  That was the last thing we needed.  I set him down as we walked back across the room and asked if he wanted Rachel to try again or if we should just go to the hospital.  As I stood from a squat, I thought tears dripped down his face as he let out a sob.  But Josh jumped up saying, "What was that?"  I said, "It was just tears." Yet, Josh delightedly said, "It came out!"  Sure enough, on Joe's hand was the freed eyeball (I even had them show me the second one still on the table, just to be sure Joe didn't somehow have the second one stuck to his hand.).  The work Rachel had done must have been enough to shift it around in his nose a little. And this, mixed with his crying, must have dislodged it enough causing it to slide out.  Praise the Lord for Rachel's guts to stick her tool up his nose and try to pull it out despite how far back it was and how hard it was to even see.

   Jake was very quick to thank Rachel (repeatedly) "for helping get the eyeball out of my brother's nose". And Joe was glad..."my nose spit out that eyeball...I didn't like that eyeball in my nose!"

   And here is the finished craft...with the eyeballs where they should be!!!!

 

A Moo-ving Game of Baseball

 We bundled in three layers to go outside and play.  Once outside, I quickly realized how overdressed we were.  It was a beautiful day with very little wind that allowed us to get back down to just one layer.

   Once Papa came home from town, he joined the baseball game.

   

  
Papa remembered he needed to water the cows.  So, we all headed to help and watch.  After the water bucket had been filled, the boys wanted to give the cows some hay from the ground.  Jake got brave enough to feed the cows while Joe still kept his distance.  (We're studying cows this week.)

   Later in the afternoon, we enjoyed heading to the Swartzentruber's woods for some fun on the trails with three of their kids (who were anxious that we wouldn't want to get muddy).  However, it didn't take much convincing for the boys to tromp through mud and water...delighted; then the gang decided to try to build a fort. Another highlight...we got to see the inside of a hedgeapple. Needless to say, we stayed until the sun dropped...and loved every minute.

   A very well spent day...outdoors!

Dot and the Dog

Jake has been learning his short vowel sounds.  So, I searched for a book that he could read from the library.  Thanks to the Bob Book series, I was able to find something I felt he could read on his own.  I tried to upload the original video (the first time he read the book), but it was too long.  

So, I had Jake re-read the book and video taped it in three segments as seen below!

I knew he would be proud...and he was!

He read the book to Papa while Papa ate lunch.  Then he read to Daddy once he was home! So, now he has mastered the book! :)

What a moment...I'm so glad I have been able to enjoy his delight today!

Sprinkles

The boys "helped" Mama decorate Christmas sugar cookies.  Poor Mama had to work fast to keep up with her helpers.  And as you can tell from the pictures, the boys did plenty of "sampling the sprinkles" along the way.

Jump around

Thursday mornings are an open gym time at the gymnastics facility across from church.  So, for $2.00 the boys can run around, jump, climb, bounce, interact with friends, and be boys for an hour and a half. They absolutely love it.  And here are some pics to help give you an idea of the facility.

Gingerbread houses

   Our library provides a class once a month for homeschoolers.  This month, the activity was to build a Gingerbread house.  The ladies had put together the actual houses in advance so the frosting would have time to "set".  But the boys got to add all kinds of candy items...including snowman and gingerbread men marshmallows.  As the boys listened to instructions, Joe listened intently and kept making sure he was sitting right in his chair every time he wanted to prop himself on his knees. (He was obviously paying attention to what the other kids were doing.)  I couldn't help but laugh when Joe leaned close to me and urgently whispered..."she said we could eat some of da candy!" (nodding his head as he said it)

   The boys had a great time...and Joe's house even survived a head first landing from the dashboard to the floor of the car.

Great Joe Quotes...

   At church on Sunday, Joe's Wednesday night class teacher came up to me and shared the following conversation she had with Joe...
"So, Joe, do you have any pets?"
"Yep"
"What are their names?"
"Butch and Rusty"
"What kind of pets are Butch and Rusty?"
"Butch and Rusty!"
"Well, are they dogs?"
"No, they are Butch and Rusty!"
"Are they cats?"
"No! They are BUTCH and RUSTY!"
"Hmm, are they rabbits or goats?" (She knew the Smiths---who bought our house--have goats)
"Noooo!!!! They are Butch and Rusty!!!!"

The following week, Joe apparently immediately came up quietly to Ms. Jan and gently tapped on her leg saying,
"You thought Butch and Rusty are dogs.  They not dogs. (sheepishly) They COWS!" (if you can hear this in Joe's voice, it's all the better! :)



   On Monday at dinner, we were talking about Tuesday activities.  After listening for awhile, Joe eventually piped in with his thoughts about the next day. But instead of saying "tomorrow", he said..."after my dark nap, will we be..."Somehow I quickly figured out that he was saying, "after I sleep tonight".  Apparently, in his view, there is a light nap (afternoon) and a dark nap (night time)! :)


"Hey, mom!  Watch me jungle this pillow!"  (juggle)



Playing hide and seek...Joe's counting while we all hide and gets past 12 and it went something like this..."13, 14, um, 19, (pause, pause), um, 16, 12teen, um 19, hmm, ready here I come."

A few moments later as Josh is counting...Joe hides in the bathroom in the sauna with the light on and  was standing at the sauna door looking out for Josh to find him! :)

The exterior of the house

I stopped by the house today to take some pictures of the outside...mainly so I can literally picture it as I think of all that can be (and needs to be) done to it.  Thought I would take some extra pictures to give you perspective.  So, I'll include captions below the pictures as much as possible to help you get a feel of it all.  As I was taking pictures, I went around to the backyard and scared a deer away.  Poor guy had to jump pretty high in all the "needs to be bush hogged soon" grass back there! :)

from the road

As you will see from the pictures, the boys will have front row seats to farming at its best!!!

It's raining...it's SNOWING...

Yes, I do believe the weather folks told us we would not be getting any snow in our area.  And, yes, that does make it almost a guarantee that we will! :) Currently, about 2-3 inches on the ground...and still coming down...!
The boys (especially Joe) were excited to go out and play in it.  And, being a nice WET snow, it was perfect for throwing many snowballs! 

Just before we were heading in, I yelled to the boys (who were pulling an empty sled while running around) to head around the barn one last lap before we headed inside.  Yeah, I forgot the garden was under the snow (i.e. 2 days of rainy mud). Joe got stuck and as he tried to get out, he kept falling down because his boots were sucked in and stuck.  Jake couldn't get one boot out because his boots are loose enough that his foot kept coming out.  Ugh!  Needless to say, they were a muddy mess.

We took a trip to town after all of this--which (I realized on the way home) gave the boys their first real ride in the snow. In Tennessee we would play in the snow before/until it melted...not wasting time driving around in it since it usually melted in a few hours!  So, tonight the boys enjoyed seeing all that they could see and viewing the Christmas lights.  Papa will enjoy seeing the lights reflecting in the snow tonight when he gets home from work! If it ever stops snowing, I'll snap a picture and post it!

Exercise with Dad...never again?

On Sunday afternoon, Josh took Jake to the Fieldhouse with him while Joe was taking a nap.  Jake wanted to do some exercise (after watching the swim team the day before). So, Josh decided to have Jake do a similar med ball workout before they shot some hoops.  Here are a couple clips to show how that went! :)

Oh yeah...as a side note...it's an 8 lb. med ball he's using here!

HighLIGHTS from last week...

   Mama and Papa have great tradition in their Christmas decor routine.  So, the day after Thanksgiving consisted of Mama pulling out tote after tote from the basement...all filled with Christmas decorations for the house.  I'm not sure how much the boys helped...but they (especially Jake) did enjoy discovering all the various goodies that each tote held.  A lot of the items are things that light up.  So, there was great expectation and excitement for the sun to go down so the lights could be turned on.
   Meanwhile, while Mama was busy lighting up the inside of the house, Papa's job was to cover the house, the yard, and the bushes with lights.  (It was a sunny, warmer day. So, he lucked out with that.) This job included trips to the roof to hang the icicle lights.  And both boys ventured on the roof with Papa to see what they could see.
   Now, as dusk falls each night, the boys delightedly scurry around the house with Mama to allow everything come to light!

Thanksgiving...

   What am I thankful for today?

   I think I can sum it up with a simple statement (otherwise I can ramble to you for hours if you'd like the long version).  I'm thankful that God is teaching me to be thankful in all circumstances...allowing me to recognize and challenging me to recognize how very, very much I really do have to be thankful for everyday of the year! 

  Thank you, Lord, that the ability to give thanks stems from your great, unchanging love that extends grace to me every moment of every day.

Great Quotes of the week...

   Papa had asked Joe if he wanted to go for a ride in his truck.  "No, I'm helping Mama clean toilets."
Later, Papa was telling Joe about the combine and tractors he saw. "Really, where were dey?", asked Joe. "Boy, Joe, you missed out on seeing those b/c you chose to stay and clean toilets with Mama!"  Daddy piped in saying, "Yeah, you'll learn that it's always more fun to go with Papa.  You never know when you'll be able to drive tractors, four-wheelers, or the truck.You might have fun playing with Mama now...and she knows she had better enjoy the time you want to play with her, but eventually you'll know to go do stuff with Papa as you get bigger." 
Jake replied with, "And then Papa will come live with us boys!" 



   After Joe woke up from his nap, he wanted to go outside. It was a bright sunny day, but very windy and cold.  I told Joe it was very cold out, but that he could see if he wanted to go out and play.  Joe went to the door, opened it a few inches and quickly responded..."It's too cold. I not go outside!"
   I guess experiencing something is the best teacher! :)


   On Wednesday, we went to a friends' house to play.  As we left, we were sent home with some chocolate chip cookies for all of us to enjoy (6 to be exact).  Joe took the initiative to be in charge of the container.  But little did we know how much he would guard and delegate its contents.  Both boys told Papa not to eat all the cookies and Papa said he would try not to.
   On Friday morning, Papa teased Joe saying, "Boy those cookies sure were good."  Joe was at the sink helping rinse dishes and froze in his position with a very serious look on his face.  Papa went on about how good the cookies were and Joe looked at him and asked, "Did you eat all dem?"  Papa said, "Oh yeah, the ones in the red container...and they were good!!!"  Joe paused and thoughtfully said,  "Let me see the container!"  I picked it up off the counter and barely shook it. With no noise coming from it, Joe looked concerned...until I opened it for him to see the 4 cookies still there.  Joe looked at Papa (in delighted relief) and said, "You were teasing me!" 

V S P

   We haven't gone on any field trips lately. So, I suggested that we go somewhere on Saturday.  Jake told Mama..."We're going to go away all day so you can have the house to yourself since you don't have to work." And later while praying, "Thank you that we can go somewhere tomorrow, all day, so we don't have to be bored at the house all day!" (I guess he has forgotten that he is the one who has wanted to stay at the boring house and play with his boring toys!)
   After scouting out some different places to go, I finally settled on Versailles State Park.  So, I packed the car with some food, some library books, bikes, balls, and 3 kinds of coats for each of us (still not used to how the weather feels).
   We traveled past lots of harvested fields as well as a few that had combines and tractors out working. The boys were delighted to see farm equipment in use and parked on people's property. "We've seen a lot of farm stuff, Mom", says Jake. "That's cool."  And, of course, Joe constantly was talking in a high pitched excited voice..."Mom, I see a tractor over dere."
   At one point while driving, Joe says, "Mom, I want to show you something.  Can I show you?"  "Well, I'm driving Joe so I can't turn around. "  "Maybe I can show you when we stop."  "Yeah, that would be fine."  "Mom, can you turn around and look at this?"  "Well, Joe, I'm driving."  "Can you just pull over and stop?" Jake (the cautious one) pipes in with, "Well there isn't really anywhere safe to stop right now."  Joe proceeded with..." I like dis dirt bike, and dis one, and I like dis one, and dis one..."  He was looking at the racing library book and wanted to show me his favorites...NOW!

   Once at VSP, the boys hopped their bikes to take a little ride. There was hardly a person to be found, so they enjoyed riding in the road for a little while.

   Then, we took a short hike (which always includes picking stuff up to throw in any water that might be nearby)...   Here the boys found some holes in the ground from some rodent and decided to stuff the opening with leaves..."so the big worm can't get out," says Jake.  (The hole openings were at least quarter sized or more...which I pointed out would be an enormous--not big--worm!!!!)

This was followed by kicking around the soccer ball (or just tackling...from Joe's perspective).

   And, then we found some leaf piles...in which Joe (who LOVES running through leaves) immediately jumped around tossing leaves followed by laying on his back and saying, "I make snow angel."--which he did proceed to do with leaves.

We finally found the 3rd playground......where the boys enjoyed their favorite--the tire swing...

...and Joe had a blast "popping wheelies" on his pretend dirt bike......and the boys paused long enough in their motorcycle and 4-wheeler pretend races for some pictures...

...Joe waits for his turn in the race...

Then, we ventured toward a trail by the water where Joe quickly found "a disc" and proceeded to drag it behind him along the path...for like a half mile...

  However, as we exited the trail to head back to the car, Joe promptly dropped the stick to leave it behind saying, "We can't fit it in the car."  Yet, moments later, he found this...and wanted to take it in the car (thanks to Jake's prompting)...

Oh, and a slight detour on the way to the car...finding a ton of leaves caught under and between the picnic tables...

I'm surprised we didn't find any leaves in the boys' clothes once we got home.

Overall, a very fun fall day!!!!!

Running errands

   Jake was going to town with Papa (probably b/c Papa was going to the bank...and last time at the bank, Jake got some candy).  Anyway...I asked Joe if he wanted to go run errands with me.  His response...a peppy, "sure!".
   So, Joe and I hopped in the car and headed to town to mainly drop boxes off from church to some local businesses and then head to the library.  Joe was sporting his sunglasses as we went from business to business (even though they sat on the outside of his pulled up jacket hood).
   When we got to the library, Joe didn't want to go in.  "Can I just stay in the car while you go in?"
So, I reminded him we could check out a tractor video I had seen the other day (he has watched all 4 of our John Deere videos this week and is wanting to watch them again).  This got him into the library...where he walked around with his hood up, chattering away about books and videos.  As I was putting returned videos on the counter, he was scouting the video section and quickly came back to me saying, "I don't see it, Mom. They don't have a tractor video."  So, I went around to show him the spot I had seen it and there it was.  "Oh, there it is, Mom.  Thanks!" He took it and held it under his arm along with a Mega Truck video saying, "There it is. There is the tractor video. Can we watch it when we get home?" (over and over).  I chose another couple videos and told him what I had picked.  He had little comments along the way for those too..."Oh yeah. Sure. Sure!"  Then he was ready to go check out.  So, I reminded him we could get some new books.  "I don't want any."  "You don't want any new books to look at and read the next few days?  How about some tractor books?"  "Sure, let's get some tractor books! Where are they?  I don't see any tractor books, Mom.  Oh, look at this one,  and this one.  Can we get this one?  And this one?  How about this one?" (You get the idea!)  Then I suggested we look for some non-tractor books.  "Sure" says Joe.  And after picking out several from one spot, we stood up and Joe says, "How 'bout we look down this aisle?  What about this one?  (pulling random book off shelf)  And this one looks good (pulling another random book off the shelf)."  He got a couple more using this method...and then my bag was more than full.  So, we went to check everything out.  He put his tractor video on the counter, waited for it to be checked out, and then wanted to hold it again. Once all the books were checked out, the librarian held the receipt up and measured it against him...and it was taller than he was!
   When we got back to the car, he climbed in with his video "Thanks for the tractor video." and clutched it asking, "Now we go run errands?"  I said, "Yes, we have a couple more."
   We dropped another package off (which he wanted to carry probably b/c it had candy canes on top...hoping one would fall off, I'm sure).  I asked if he wanted to go into Walmart to look for some gloves. "No, I don't want to." We discussed this--with no change of opinion--and then headed to the last place we needed to drop off a package.
   Once back in the car, he says, "Now we go run errands?"  I said, "We have been running errands." "No, I want to go where we went last night (which could mean 3 months ago) with Daddy." "Ok, well, where was that?" He answered me with some long response that made no sense. So, I further asked, "Can you tell me where it was or what we were doing?"  He replied again with some long response that still made no sense.  Then, I asked, "Did you think that 'run errands' means we're going to run around?"  "Yeah" he said with a "duh" sound in his voice.  So, I had to explain the difference between running errands and running on a playground.
   By the time we got home, he had fallen asleep in the car and our plan to go to the playground to run had to be put on hold. Later, he was explaining the difference to Papa..."Run errands is when you go drop boxes off at different places. Run is where you just play."

   

Settling in

   After a week of settling in (and constantly playing hide and seek with boxes as the boys ask for something and I try to figure out where in the world it might be), things are starting to fall into a rhythm. (well, sort of...since having two young children doesn't really allow for much predictability! :))
   We have begun to look for a house... still looking...patiently!?!?!?!  And we've begun to plug into church...finding all sorts of gems to be a part of as a family! The boys have enjoyed getting to play with boys and girls their age. (I am especially glad for lots of boys their age!) Both boys are excited about going to church already...probably b/c they are stuck with mom otherwise. Although, Jake has commented more than once that he has not made any friends yet. How do I explain to a 5 year old that relationships take time...? :)
   We enjoyed a warm weather day with a picnic lunch at the park where we played on the playground, rode bikes across the blue bridge, threw rocks in the water (except the ducks thought it was food), ran through the leaves, and tossed them in the wind.  Fun afternoon for sure...

    Can't forget the trips to the library...we are excited to now be able to check out 100 books at a time.  I know, it sounds funny, but when we've been limited to 18 I now feel so free!  (Kids books can be so short...and reading them 10 times in a row is not very exciting for the adult!)
   We also got to go to the library for a great homeschool class (Science in the Kitchen) where Jake (and Joe) got to get messy with other kids.  Jake was so excited and so motivated leading up to the class.  He sat down on Tuesday afternoon (while dinner was being fixed) and colored a picture very carefully...saying "I need to practice since I'll be doing schoolwork with other kids the next day!"  (I must admit his coloring was impressive compared to former coloring!)

Needless to say, the class was very fun for both boys.  Joe got more messy than Jake (no surprise there), but Jake loved the interaction! 
   I'm reminded that we are designed for relationships.  I'm grateful for the relationships developing and all that are yet to come!

First time fishing...

   Sunday afternoon...what is it good for?  Well, today (after time for rest), Papa had a treat for the boys. He had found the fishing poles, gotten new bobbers, dug up worms, and asked the neighbor if we could fish in her pond.  So, when the boys got up from their nap, we headed in the back of Papa's truck to go fishing in the pond...a first for the boys!

   The chance to practice casting a line at Bass Pro Shop paid off b/c Jake did well at this.  He patiently stared at his bobber...noting any movement.  And it didn't take long for a bite.  I think he actually had 4 fish on his line through the course of our time there, but only 1 was actually caught.  It was a good sized fish, too...so Mama helped pull it in.  Jake was a little concerned about what the fish would do (having just watched the fish Mama caught flop around on the dock after Papa got the hook out and accidentally dropped it before getting it to the water)...so he refused to get near it for a picture.  But a few minutes later, he was determined to catch another fish so he could get his picture with it!

 

   Meanwhile, Joe's interest in fishing lasted about 30 seconds.  So, he spent the time exploring in the grass, scaring us as he jumped on the dock (and climbed to and from the boat tied up), finding sticks to fish (for pretend) with, etc!  He found a rather large stick with multiple branches coming off of it and he declared it was great for roasting marshmallows...for all of us! :)

   As Jake and I rode back to Papa's in the back of his truck, I asked what his favorite thing was... "All of it", Jake replied.  So, I asked what he didn't like... "Not taking my picture with the fish," he said.  I reminded him that being cautious is okay and that I wished we had been able to get a picture, too.  But we'd get to fish again soon...!  Hopefully we'll have another warm enough day to enjoy doing this!

   I enjoyed seeing the beauty of nature...reflections of colorful leaves and the sun, hearing the combine and tractor harvesting nearby, watching the ripples of water where fish neared the surface, listening to Joe as he blazed trails through the grass exploring, and hearing Jake delight in every movement of the bobber! Creation is a beautiful thing that we are created to enjoy and I'm glad I got to enjoy it fully this afternoon!

Bears cookies

   Grammie and Grandpa took a trip to Chicago this past week.  Since Mama and Papa's is an easy stop on the way, we were able to see them for about an hour.  Grandpa (a Minnesota fan) showed his love for his grandsons by purchasing Chicago Bears cookies from a family favorite bakery in Chicago.  The cookies were delivered personally with love...and eaten with great appreciation.  I didn't show the cookies to the boys until after dinner that night. The boys were delighted to see the cookies...and Jake even commented in the midst of his bites... "Good thing Grandpa didn't buy us Vikings cookies. We wouldn't have been able to eat those!" Joe piped in with, "Yeah, we need to say thank you!" Thus, the boys realized how much it took for Grandpa to buy the cookies for the boys! :)

   Joe managed to wear a lot of his cookie...and needed an immediate shower.  But promptly after his shower he asked, "Can we call Grammie and Grandpa to say thank you now?"  He enjoyed telling them what cookie he ate and what colors were on it, etc!  And he was sure to let them know how much he enjoyed eating the cookie!
   Simple pleasures...they go a long way!

Loading and Unloading...

   So, we picked up the moving truck on Thursday and started loading it. Joe was fascinated by the huge truck parked backward in the driveway as he perched on the shoe cabinet, staring out the big bay window.  He pulled his thumb out of his mouth long enough to ask "what's that for?" and seemed to ponder my familiar response "we're packing all our things in the truck and moving them to Indiana!".

    Once the task of moving things into the truck began, both boys put their work gloves on and were full of action.  They helped carry all kinds of things out of the house...testing the dolly, swiveling chairs in the carport, unpacking the kitchen set to make pretend food for everyone, and periodically getting completely in the way.  Overall, they handled it well--especially considering it rained most of the time we were loading things.

   Interestingly enough, despite their help moving most everything out of the house, Jake continued to ask if he could play with a specific toy.  I kept reminding him that things were packed...which was met with a "oh yeah, I forgot".  Still, with the house completely empty, the truck closed, and Papa, Eric and Rachel on their way to Indiana...Jake managed to ask "Mom, can I just watch some TV?"  I responded, "Where would you like to do that?"  Jake-out of habit-walked toward the family room where the TV and couch used to be...but he only got about 1 1/2 steps before shrugging with a sigh/laugh...realizing what he had just asked.  He looked at me with such a precious look on his face and said sheepishly, "Oh, I forgot!"

   Fortunately, God blessed us with two patient boys in this journey who took the changes in stride.

   Our drive to Indiana on Friday evening (after closing on our house late in the afternoon) consisted of the boys and I in one car and Josh in a very stuffed second car that was pulling a piled high trailer.  Wisely, Josh had kept the walkie talkies available...even thinking to turn mine on before we started the journey. About a mile up the road, my car was suddenly filled with Josh's voice saying, "Hi, guys!"...and the fun began!  We arrived in Indiana about 6-7 hours later and gladly welcomed our beds!

   This morning found us staring at a truck we now had to unload in Josh's parents' house.  How does it take 2 days to load a truck and 3 hours to unload it?  Amazing.  But by Saturday night, you wouldn't have known that a house full of stuff had been emptied into my in-laws house.  They prepared well for us! And we are blessed...

  

Going Back to Indiana...

   For us, it's not just a song...it is reality!  A job...yes, Josh's newest job...is taking our family from the hills of Tennessee back to the Hoosier State. How do we all feel about that? Josh is excited to go back home. I see lots of pros and cons. Jake (5) is worried about leaving friends and making new friends. And Joe (3), well, he's just pretty excited about being with the tractors and four-wheelers at Papa's!