Give Thanks Day 09

Thanksgiving Day 2009.
Last week was a lot of fun preparing the foods to share with the family. All but 2 of my siblings were able to join us for the feast and fun (and we missed you guys). I brought some homemade stuffing - a little dry, but now I know - and mom's famous? frozen cranberry salad, and some breakfast food.
There was too much food - which is great because we love leftovers. There was even more dessert. Which is even greater because we love leftovers!!
From age 1 month to 90+ years old, we gathered and ate and talked and laughed. We played games - the Phrases game is still popular - and had a Ping Pong tournament. To my son's dismay, there was no football game in the yard. I had told him about how my brothers used to play every Thanksgiving (well that's how I remember it), and I am afraid the uncles have just gotten to a point where grubbing in the mud with the pigskin isn't as alluring... or else they didn't bring enough clothes to change into .. or maybe the fact that it was freezing outside had something to do with it. Luckily, the boy got to play football on Saturday with our neighbors and G and the girls. And there was plenty of football on TV to satisfy.

Pink

God has been preparing me for this day, for the past couple of weeks.
Today we went in to the doctor for an ultrasound. Our oldest daughter, SaG, wanted to come too, so she got to see her new little sister in the womb. Very cool!
Yes, daughter number 4 is on her way -- well in about 5 months.
I was playing the "What if" game in my head last week; as in What if it is a boy, or What if it is a girl. And I concluded a few things - 1. God knows what I can handle, even if I don't think I can. 2. Little boys have a LOT more energy than little girls... usually, and I am not getting any younger, if you know what I mean. 3. A little girl might be a lot easier to integrate into our mostly female household. 4. I had a lot more morning/evening/ sickness than ever before with this one. So, in my head at least, God was preparing for the wonderful news today that we're having another girl.

Happy Thanksgiving

37 items I am thankful for, in no particular order:
37. Being alive for this long
36. 4 great kids
35. a husband who is faithful
34. clothes that fit
33. The Amazing Race
32. Jane Austen
31. Daffodils
30. The way my husband dances
29. the beach
28. cookies
27. babies
26. Fire fighters
25. and thus, police, and doctors, and nurses
24. Zyrtec
23. Learning from the past
22. sunshine
21. college football games
20. healthy babies
19. a very large extended welcoming family
18. Skype and Facebook, so I can visit my friends I never get to see anymore
17. comfortable pajamas
16. heated, running water
15. plenty of food
14. a plethora of choices every day
13. my parents who raised me right
12. my grandparents who raised my parents right
11. an awesome pastor
10. friends who put up with me
9. freedom to do as I see fit in this country
8. responsibility - which keeps me from doing whatever I want and getting into trouble that way
7. cows
6. large, snow covered mountains I can see from our home
5. running
4. quiet moments
3. friends who introduce me to new ideas and ways to see life
2. a husband I still love madly
1. Jesus, who saved me from an eternity in hell.

Grand Prix

The AWANA Grand Prix was a couple of weekends ago, but I am only now getting the photos online!
The kids did not have as much time available to prepare but thankfully G did not have pneumonia this year and he was able to help a lot more. The orange car is the boy's, of course. He named it The Flying Wild Beaver. SaG chose a Herbie design. MoE wanted the cheese block with the cute little mouse. And G helped MeR to make the black, odd shaped, car; he chose the name of Black Licorice. The day of the event was a lot of fun - kids in the gym, adults too, cheering for their cars, but also clapping for each other. The Cheese car placed 3rd in speed! Herbie made it into 2nd place winner for design, and Black Licorice was also 3rd in speed! It helped to have the kids all racing in different classes. The Flying Beaver was 4th, but unfortunately they don't give trophies for 4th.

Happy 150th

Oregon celebrates 150 years of being a state this year. All kinds of events took place during the summer in remembrance for this. But this weekend - our church is celebrating 150 years of being a church! We have been part of the church for 10 years now, and I thought that was a long time. But learning about the history some of these families have in this church, I felt like a newcomer!
Today the girls and I went down to partake in the fun. ((G and the boy went to a basketball game!)) We walked around and looked at the various exhibits. The room full of wedding dresses from the past was probably my favorite. Especially when I got to see the pictures of the ladies on their wedding days - ladies I know and admire. The oldest dress there - I think - was one from 1924! My 2 youngest, M and M, did not appreciate the dresses quite as much as they did the wedding cake we got to eat and the mints that were also there.
The girls also had the opportunity to make some crafts and hear some history, and learn a new story. The storyteller read the fable Rumpelstiltskin, and none of my kids had heard of it! I guess I missed that one in all our library checkouts. We made a Jacob's Ladder out of wood blocks; and a whirligig, aka a button on a string. They thoroughly enjoyed playing with their 'new' toys. I can still recall playing with a Jacob's Ladder when I was little too. And then there was the game room, where kids could play games from the past ... I think this is what it was! My oldest, SG, played 4-square. Wow! I still remember playing that out on the playground nearly every day in grade school. Do kids still do this? Being homeschoolers, I really don't know what games are played at recess anymore.
It has been a fun weekend seeing all the old documents and photos and memorabilia. And it is a wonderful feeling to be part of such a church family.

What's in a name?

Lately the kids have been tossing out some baby names, that, well, I just wouldn't use for my baby. They get them from these books they read. Books like The Boxcar Children, Encyclopedia Brown, Hank the Cow Dog, Nathan T. Riggins. Books that have some interesting names, and characters, And lots of nicknames. We usually hear their suggestions at dinner time, and it often ends up in giggle fest. I won't mention them here, because, well what if it was your name?!
We have 5 months to figure out what to name this new child. I have my ideas. G has his. Hopefully we'll meet up in the middle. We have the last 4 times.
The hard part this time around is finding one that is special, not too trendy, not too unique, but not used in the family already. I have a feeling that we will be having a repeat this time. By repeat, I mean a name that someone in the extended family already has. We have a nephew on both sides with the same name as my brother. We have nieces on both sides with the same name. And we have a huge family. So I'm thinking a repeat is gonna happen. Hopefully the person (or the family) whose name we (might) use won't be bothered by it.

Thinking of

Last night G. and I watched the movie, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It has stuck with me, all night and into today. I woke up at night thinking about it. I am sure I will be thinking about it the rest of the week. It is a movie I think every adult should see and share with their children at some point.
It is a movie about a family, a Nazi family, during the Holocaust. The father is high up in command; the mother is concerned about her position in society; the children are, in the beginning, quite innocent. The twists and turns it takes are not expected.
I kept trying to justify different scenes in my dreams. I tried to explain away certain behaviors. I looked inside myself at my own prejudices I hold. I might say I don't have them, but I do. I kept thinking, it's not Bruno's fault - he shouldn't have been in there. (If or when you see the movie, you will understand that better.) But then I had to remind myself, none of the Jews were at fault. All of the Jews were innocent of death charges.
Today I began reading a book about a woman who survived the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11. I am only halfway through, but it has been so thought provoking also. I don't know where all of this will lead, but I suppose this might be a week of contemplation, prayer and - yes - thanksgiving. I was challenged by a Bible reading also to not be lukewarm in my faith. Perhaps this will all tie together and become clearer as the week goes on. Perhaps these are just stepping stones in the path of life.