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!!!