Last Sunday morning, we were standing around after the service as usual when Sam came to me and wanted to be held.  I assumed he was just tired and hungry, so I held him and continued talking.  After about ten minutes, he suddenly tossed his cookies.  All over him; all over me.  Thankfully, he hadn't eaten much that morning - and in retrospect I know why - but he and I were soaked.  We got home and changed and slept.  He never threw up again, but he did have three days of "the other" which made him a very grouchy two-year-old.  Thursday morning, he woke up feeling much better, all smiles and high energy again. 

Saturday morning (yesterday) I woke up and knew that I had caught the bug.  I won't share the gory details - there have to be some limits even in blogging  - but that's why I'm home from Sunday School and church this morning.  Sam's quietly occupied elsewhere and the house is blessedly quiet.

The other kids have complained briefly of stomach aches, but thankfully nothing has come of it.  Let's hope and pray that we have seen the worst - which wasn't so bad, or at least could have been a lot worse. 

Over Christmas break, we got all rigged out and went sledding with some friends.  Thankfully, Sam could stay home with Daddy and avoid the bitter cold, but the three older kids and I braved the elements.  I discovered that while my boots are fine for going to the car and going from the car to whatever heated building is close by, they are not built for standing around on the top of an exposed hillside for several hours.  We eventually left when my toes were frozen.  Other than the achingly cold toes, though, we had lots of fun!

This is the sledding hill.  Also known as a "mountain" in Minnesota.

Here's Miss Johanna frolicking in the snow.

The boys had fun borrowing our friends' sled for several trips down the hill.  Amazing how fast those things can go!

Some may wonder why we bother going outside to freeze our nether regions by sliding down ice-covered hills for hours at a time.  But around here, if you don't go outside in the winter and play, you won't make it to spring...especially if you have four young, energetic children in a relatively small house!

As promised, I will share here some Christmas pictures.  These are just a few of many.  You may wonder how I could choose only a few among all of the wonderful, amazing shots I got with my new camera.  Well, I took my favorites and loaded them onto Photobucket.  Then I took the ones which were right side up since I don't seem to be allowed to turn any errant photos right side up on Photobucket anymore.  So, here you have it.  The best of the best. 

Miss P and Miss K gave the kids each a little plastic snow slider.  Basically, it's a butt-sized piece of plastic (hey, now, no jokes) and a handle. 

Right after the picture was taken, Sam rolled over backwards, still holding the handle to his and he thought that was a fun ride!

This small train set was Sam's "big" present.  He and the other boys enjoyed it for quite a while.  Now it sits in the basement gathering dust.  "Quite a while" is all relative.

"Sam, hold it up so I can take a picture.  No, not in front of your face.  No, not up...well, okay."

When we first had children, I did my best to discourage toy guns.  Of course, as soon as William hung out with some slightly older boys, he was turning every stick and crust of sandwich into a gun.  And, now, I have stooped to handing out guns to my children.  But, really, every boy needs a six-shooter, doesn't he?

This year, the gift-de-resistance was Miss Johanna's.

This is Liberty, or "Lib" as her "mother" calls her.  Johanna was thrilled with the doll and I was nearly as thrilled for her.  Until she started talking to Lib and calling me "Grandma!"  Uh, no.  Not happening. 

Well, there certainly were other moments of fun and mayhem, but those are the pictorial highlights. 

Lest you think the older boys were neglected, Micah received an assortment of lesser gifts and William is getting a new bicycle with his birthday and Christmas moneys. 

Other than gifts, we decorated, baked, ate, sang carols, cooked, ate, went gadding about, ate, barely gave a thought to school and work, and then generally stuffed ourselves besides.  So, it was good.  We certainly missed not seeing family for the holidays, but, I must say that it was very nice not driving fifteen hours on Christmas Day! 

I hope that your Christmas was blessed with peace and joy in the Redeemer whose birth we celebrate. 

Hello? *tap*tap*tap*  Anybody still there?  I do apologize for the interruption in blogging.  Then again, you all have been busy with the holidays, too, so you really didn't have time to be reading here anyway.  But now that the holiday madness is over and the everyday madness has resumed, I will try to blog a little more and keep you up to date on all the fun around here. 

It's late now so I won't attempt a long entry.  My coherency dwindles the longer I go without sleep and it's spotty enough as it is.  I will leave you with a slightly amusing story about Johanna.

Johanna is playing on a city rec league basketball team with Micah and two of her friends (among other kids, of course).  One night, the regular coach couldn't make it to practice so one of the other dads volunteered to run practice.  This dad tried valiantly to learn all of the kids names, but somehow couldn't remember Johanna's name.  At some point, he told her that and Johanna replied, in all innocence and probably some sympathy, "That's because you're old."  Okay, we've worked on telling the truth.  Now we have to work on tact.     

My camera still is not working, but for anyone in need of a Sam fix, I'll include this:

This outfit was made by our friend, Jody Benefiel, for William when he was this age.  She also made a matching outfit for Micah and I have a picture of Sam in that somewhere around here.  Anyway, it is such a cute outfit and I'm sad to see all of my kids grow out of it!

Saturday evening, we went and picked out a Christmas tree.  I seemed to be the only one with much true concern for choosing the best possible tree.  The kids just wanted to get back to the building so they could have hot chocolate and John just didn't want to spend an arm and a leg.  And trees do cost a lot, y'know?  Well, we finally agreed on a short, fat Frasier fir, and went back for hot chocolate. 

By the time we got it home and set up, we decided that that was enough for one day!  So, we decorated yesterday while Sam was napping. 

Now, we face the daunting task of keeping Sam from pulling all of the ornaments off the tree and/or pulling the entire tree over.  I have the other kids on patrol, but even that is not enough.  So far there's no permanent damage, but the thing has been up for less than 24 hours, so there's plenty of time. 

Well, I've got kids in need of an education and at least one in need of a diaper changeso I'd better go. 

Oh, and please pray for my Grandpa Copeland.  He fell a couple of days ago and broke his shoulder.  He's a tough old guy, but he sure could use our prayers. 

Wow.  I win the Bad Blogger Award this month, huh?  I have even had plenty of material with birthdays and all.  But, honestly, most nights I am wrung out!  And, to make matters worse, my camera is not working right now so I don't even have anything new to put up for Wordless Wednesday.  I will give you a small update, though, just in case you're curious.

William has started basketball season, so between that and violin, he is (and therefore we are) kept extra busy.  That driver's license, still five years away, is beginning to look pretty attractive. 

Micah, Johanna, and Sam continue in homeschooling and in their weekly excursions with Miss P. and Miss K. to the indoor playground or library. 

John continues to be busy with meetings and sermons.  We have been averaging about 60 on a Lord's Day morning, so we are thankful to see the Lord's blessing in that.

I stay busy enough with homeschooling and teaching at Liberty.  As usual, it's the housework that goes by the wayside when I'm struggling to keep up with everything.  So, in other words, call before you drop by so we can scramble around and hide the dirty socks and half-chewed raisins under couch cushions. 

We are all looking forward to a bit of a break for Thanksgiving - well, the kids and I are, anyway.  John doesn't really get a break. 

I suppose I should get off of here now and go earn that Thanksgiving break!  There is ignorance to battle and, armed with my encyclopedias and a few sharp pencils, I will do it!

Last week, our Liberty classroom had a Renaissance Festival.  Micah and Johanna were allowed to join in on the fun, so we made it a family thing. 

I was Eleanor of Aquitaine (What do you think?  Good look for me?  No, I don't think so, either.), William was Sinbad the Sailor (as per classroom assignment), Micah was Richard the Lion-heart or King Arthur (take your pick), and Johanna was the Princess Elizabeth who became Queen Elizabeth I. 

Here's a closer look at Sinbad.  He's ready to rumble.

And King Arthur/Richard (Wm made the crown for him). 

The next day, Sam found King A/R's crown and had some fun of his own.

It's good to be king.

We didn't do much to celebrate John's birthday.  We're not at a time in our lives...or our budget...when big celebrations are a possibility.  Besides, who wants to celebrate being on the downhill side of the 30s?!  I did emphasize to John what a privilige it is to have lived sooo long, but he just wanted to talk about all of the muscles that pull and joints that ache for no apparent reason.  Some day, I'll be that old and maybe then I'll understand.  *grin*

I did manage to get a spice cake made and John and I watched Charlie Wilson's War.  Now, as a rule, we avoid Tom Hanks movies, but I have to say that this one was pretty good.  And fascinating to learn about the recent history of the U.S.'s involvement in Afghanistan.  I assume that Hanks et. al. had some sort of anti-Republican agenda in mind, but it didn't slap us in the face, so we could enjoy the movie.  It is not, however, for the...uh...prudish.  Wilson's lifestyle was sadly typical of Washington politicians, and the movie shows it in all of its "glory."  So, as with most movies, I recommend it, but with qualifications. 

We didn't get John any presents for his birthday, but he did get to go and browse at Barnes and Noble for a while.  He didn't get himself a present, either, but he did get ME a present!  He bought me the new Sharon Kay Penman book about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and their unruly children, called Devil's Brood.  Penman is the best writer of Medieval historical fiction I've ever read.  Her best, in my opinion, is her trilogy about the last true Princes of Wales, beginning with Here Be Dragons.  But all of her books are wonderful and I can't wait to dive into her newest. 

Before falling asleep, Johanna often spends a little time unwinding by "reading" books to herself and drawing pictures.  Last night, she made a picture in honor of Daddy's birthday.  The picture depicts Johanna rescuing Daddy from the jaws of a large-headed, bulgey-eyed monster.  This one's a keeper. 

So, that was John's birthday celebration...or lack thereof. 

Looks like I had a wordless week there last week!  Well, I'll try to be a little more communicative this week!

Today is John's birthday.  It is, therefore, also his twin brother's birthday.  It is also niece Sami's birthday.  So, happy birthday to one and all. 

This morning, John took Johanna and William with him to church for the worship conference going on there while I took Sam and Micah to Micah's soccer game.

Ours was one of the first games of the day: 9 a.m.  I had to laugh at some of the other soccer moms, although I'm sure I didn't look any more thrilling than they did.  Many had coffees in hand, glasses, no makeup, sweats, some still had pillow-rumpled hair, and some had yet to crack a smile for the day.  Some of us look that way every day, of course, but I had to chuckle at the lengths we moms go to to get our kids to their soccer games!  Some moms went with the pony-tail, ball cap, and sun glasses.  But that's cheating to pretend that under all that they really look good.  The rest of us just let it all hang out and we're better for it.  Right?  After all, honesty is the best policy.  Or not. 

The day was gorgeous - cloudless blue sky, brilliant sunshine - if a bit chilly for sitting around watching soccer.  Of course, Sam and I spent most of the time at the playground, so we managed to stay warm.  That boy wears me out trying to keep up with him.  But that's what two-year-old boys are supposed to do, so I'm happy. 

Good night, everyone!  Now, get to bed so you can go to church tomorrow! 

Sam, knowing full well a camera is aimed at him.

Goofy girl!

This is the face we get every time we make Micah eat something he doesn't like.  Which happens a lot.

The serious angler.

Just a little Thurthday thillineth!

Today is my big brother's birthday.  I'm really looking forward to his next birthday because that will be his 40th!  But I'll settle for celebrating 39 for now. 

We tease a lot and occasionally still complain to and about each other, but I am not ashamed to say, here and now, that I really do love my brother.  I could say a lot of really nice stuff about him, but if you know him, you already know that stuff, and if you don't know him, you probably don't care.  So, I'll just say how much I appreciate a brother who is - and has always been - there for me. 

I'll just give one example.  When I was in junior high and he was in high school, we both attended the same summer camp.  We rarely let our paths cross, which was difficult to manage on a small hilltop, and, if they did cross, we did our best to ignore each other.  That summer I happened to have a young swain who was buzzing around me with some persistence, but I was already mistress of the "come-hither-go-away" game and felt well able to handle said swain.  Well, one night at campfire, Tom left his group of friends to check in on me.  He had noticed my admirer and wanted to be sure that I was okay.  He even offered to break the guy's legs, if I so desired.  This offer was in jest, of course, but I have always appreciated knowing that he was there and watching out for me, even if we hadn't acknowledged each other's existence in a while. 

And now, Tom has won a permanent place in the hearts of my two eldest sons because he does cool things like build bunkbeds and take them fishing.  I think when they grow up, William and Micah will find jobs close to Uncle Tom so they can all hang out together.  And that's okay, as long as they still send us their monthly support checks.

So, happy birthday, big brother.  I love you!

Here are some of the variables which wreak havoc with our schedule.  That schedule with so much potential, so many orderly possibilities. 

Of course, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to confess that I, even I, am the most unpredictable element in our schedule since sometimes I want to start with math and sometimes I want to start with history and some days I don't want to start at all!  (But I do!)

Then we add in violin lesson on Monday; piano lesson and church on Wednesday; soccer on Thursday; homeschool co-op on every other Thursday; group violin lessons on some Fridays; something inevitably social on Friday night; soccer on Saturday; golf lessons at various times; breakfasts, lunches and coffees for John at all times and all days; occasional hospital and nursing home visits; and, to top it off, a certain element of human error. 

As my mom wrote to me the other day, it's too bad that there are so many opportunities for ministry all at the same time! 

Even so, I am constantly mindful of the overwhelming blessings we enjoy.  The worst health crisis we can complain of is a cold currently making its rounds at our house.  Both vehicles are working fine.  Our house is cool in summer and warm in winter.  And if we could find a way to keep the bats from enjoying our winter hospitality, all would be peachy. 

And, of course, the greatest blessing, no matter how busy or bored, settling fights or wiping tears, highly motivated or dreaming of a long day in bed, is Christ's gift bought for us on the cross. 

I'll do one more vacation post and hopefully will only have to write it once! 

On Thursday, we all hung around for most of the day, just relaxing together and enjoying the "down time."  In the evening, we went to a lovely restaurant for dinner for a celebratory dinner.  Our crowd sat at two long tables and kept the wait staff on their toes.  As the adults lingered over the food, the kids were lured outside by a playful golden retriever.  They all took turns throwing a frisbee to the dog and laughing in delight as she caught it and returned it to them. 

Finally, we headed "home" for anniversary cake.

Here are the twins, John and Joel. 

The next day we went to the Cass Scenic Railroad.  When the logging camps in the area closed in the 1960s, the state of West Virginia bought the company town of Cass and turned it into a state park and museum.  Now, visitors can take a 30 minute ride by steam train up the mountain to a logging camp, then back down again.

Here we all are in front of the engine.  Two parents, four sons, three daughters-in-law, and fourteen grandchildren.

Poor Joel was a little nervous when the train lurched into action. 

At the top of the mountain, we ate our lunch in the logging camp.  Here, Sam and Daddy had found a bit of shade in which to eat.

Little boys and trains just seem to go together.

This picture was taken inside the dining "hall" (really, just a rail car taken off its track).  I'm thinking of incorporating this sign above the table into our own dining tradition.  It reads, "No talking at the table."  The reason the loggers weren't allowed to talk is because they had to refuel as quickly as possible and get back to work.  The loggers could easily eat 2,000 calories in one meal and burn it off by the next. 

On the way back down, we got to see the brakemen in action.  They lean way out over the side to make sure that the cars are not going to bump into one another.  Then, if the brakes need to be adjusted they pull on a large wheel and tighten or loosen the brakes as needed. 

I had never been on a steam engine before and I was as fascinated as the kids.  I never really understood the amount of noise and grime involved before.  One can understand why horses were terrified and people were leary when steam engines first were introduced.  Sam was excited about the train, but once it started moving and making noise, he sat very still and sober on my lap.  He was more willing to move around on the downhill trip, but sought the safety of an adult when the whistle blew or the steam was released. 

On Saturday, we said our goodbyes to the Shaw clan and headed for Pennsylvania.  Before we set out, though, we drove to the top of Snowshoe for one last look at the beauties of West Virginia.

Saturday through Wednesday, we hung out with the Copeland side of this three-ring circus.

More cousin time.

Aunt Katie time.

Copeland family time.  At Pizza Joe's, of course!  We love Mom and Ava's cooking, but every visit home requires a visit to Pizza Joe's, the Sub Palace, Bert's Wooden Indian, and/or Bruster's.  Now you understand why we bring our stretchy pants when we go a'visitin' in Beaver Falls!  We also went swimming, shopping, fishing, etc., although, sadly, we didn't find time for a game of Scrabble this time!

Then it was time for the loooooong drive home.  We took two days to get home, staying overnight in South Bend.  In the morning, we took a few minutes to drive around the Notre Dame campus.  Of course, the Buckeyes being Big Ten rivals to the Fighting Irish, we were dutifully unimpressed with the large new stone buildings with beautiful architecture and especially the football stadium and mural of Touchdown Jesus. 

We arrived safe at home on Thursday night, thankful to be back in our own beds, but more than thankful for a safe trip and many, many happy memories of time spent with family. 

Okay, I give up.  The first time I began this post, I had to leave it for a while, and the computer kicked me of the www, thereby erasing my efforts thus far.  The second time I began to post, had written quite a lengthy, brilliant, informative, witty, frankly incomparable entry, the power went out just before I hit the post button. 

So, since some higher power does not wish me to embellish in my usual quirky way, here, is the next installment in my recounting of our Snowshoe Vacation.

We saw the world's largest toilet National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

We went to the Droop Mountain Battlefield.  See?  Cannon.  That proves it.

We ate lunch in the rain.

Big brother helping little, muddy, dripping, shivering brother to eat his lunch.

Pearl S. Buck's home.  We did not go inside.

But we took pictures of the misty mountains.

There.  I'm going to post this before something happens and I have to begin this once again!

As I revealed in a previous post, we travelled from St. Paul to Columbus, OH, in one long day and spent the next day recovering. 

The next day, the Lord's Day, we drove to Morgantown, West Virginia, and worshiped in the OPC there.  When we arrived, we discovered that Brother Dave and his family were there for church as well.  So, after church, we all took our picnic lunch to a park and dodged the poison ivy to eat together. 

The drive down to Snowshoe from there was uneventful, rather quiet, in fact.  Perfect for a little napping.

After catching a few flies z's, we arrived at our "cabins" at Snowshoe.  Remember the cabins from camp, just basic wooden boxes with a few windows cut out and old army cots squished together inside?  Well, these were NOTHING like that.  These were houses, beautifully decorated, many bathroomed, comfortable and elegant.  The only hardship we endured from the houses was a lack of air-conditioning in our house, but, being brave and hearty pioneer-types, we managed without. 

The cousins were ecstatic to be together and thoroughly enjoyed the time.  The most popular games were "Jackpot" and "Spud" which involved a football and lots of running, laughing, and yelling. 

This occupied the kids outside nicely so that the adults could actually hear each other talk inside. 

Sam was a very happy camper, being the youngest and cutest of the bunch, and the center of much cousinly attention.  If there was not a brother or sister available to accompany him on his adventures, there was generally a cousin willing to go along.

Here are Sam and Sami (Joel's middle) in the "front yard" of our house.

The first day we were in the house, Mom decided that she wasn't getting enough attention and threw herself down the garage steps. 

We were very thankful that she only sustained some bruising, but it could have been much worse.  It is rather nice to have a couple of doctors in the family to wrap bruised hands and assess damage - otherwise I think that Dad would have rushed Mom to the emergency room!  It turned out to be a fairly minor incident and Mom was fine by the next day, although she was never again allowed into the garage!

Tomorrow I'll share our adventure in the rain.

Thank you, National Camera lady (and Pat!), for recovering my pictures!  I don't have time to share them all now as I am off to write lesson plans for a few hours, but I will post one since I know that you are just dying of curiosity to see some of my pictures.  (You are, right?)  

This is the lovely valley where Pearl S. Buck was born and raised. 

More later...

My account on Half.com has a place where I can switch to vacation setting when the need arises.  Blogs don't have such a feature, but I'm forging new ground here to put my blog on vacation setting.  This means that I won't be putting up new blog entries every day and you'll have to hold back on the high volume of comments to each entry.  Oh, wait.  That sounds like what it's like all the time around here.  Well, you know what I mean.

We are, in fact, already on vacation and have been for the last thirty-one hours, although the first fourteen were hardly what anyone would consider as vacation.  After all, vacations are supposed to be relaxing, refreshing, a delectable break from the ordinary.  Yesterday was...not.  You see, we spent the day, fourteen hours to be exact, in the van.  Let me break it down. 

Dollar store presents for the kids: $25

New used movie for borrowed DVD player: $8

Enough snacks to choke a horse: $40

Toll road: $1

Bare bones dinner for 6 at Arby's: $30

Gas: I don't know, something astronomical

Arriving at Grandma's house all in one piece: priceless 

So, here we are at Grandpa and Grandma Shaw's house.  Today, we recover.  Tomorrow, we press on to West Virginia to meet all of John's brothers and their families for a week at Snowshoe.  Yes, Snowshoe is a ski resort, but we are assured that there are other things to do there.  I hope so because grass skiing does not appeal to me.  I need the snow to break my falls.

At the end of the week, we plan to go on to Pennsylvania to visit my family for a few days.  My sister, Katie, is home from London for a month, and I need to see her while she's on this side of the pond.  Then there are my parents, my brother and his family, my cousin and her son, a friend with a new baby, etc.  Many well-loved faces to see again. 

So, keep me on your favorites list, I'll be back.  While you're waiting, I suggest you try a vacation, too.  They're pretty good.  Well, after the first fourteen hours or so.