Bethelbrook

Aug. 21, 2008
A Beautiful Summer

Looks like we start school soon so before I am buried in spelling lists, readers, correction books and assignment sheets I thought I should tell you about our beautiful summer.

Sixteen Candles

The years sure have gone by fast since our first baby, Sylvia, came to us a week before our 1^st wedding anniversary! She is blossoming into a beautiful young lady. For her birthday we revamped the song that David and I sang to her as a baby. Here is part of the latest version-

"Sylvia, she’s now sixteen, not young or old but in between,

She gets sweeter as she grows,

Her teeth are now in two straight rows.

Blogger, reader, student driver,

Babysitter extraordinaire!.."

When I think of Sylvia I think of books (theological – popes, purity speakers and philosophers), ultimate frisbee, the great newborn imitations she does (she’s seen a few newborns in her day), green tea, outgoing letters to pen pals, more books (Classic – Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Sir Walter Scott), modesty, popcorn, the cleaning of toilets, the old "Bethelbrook News" (a family newspaper she used to write when she was 8), turning left (learning to drive can be a trial), more books (Romantic - Jane Austen, Bronte sisters), potato chips, name lists, laughing with sisters, movie soundtracks, beautiful music on the piano, carpal tunnel and eye strain from time on the computer and of course, more books (fantasy - Tolkien). Ah, Sylvia. We sure love having her in our family! I could quote here from the Shakespeare poem "Who is Sylvia?" but I’ll save her the embarassment. :*)

A Batch of Birthdays

After Baby Gregory’s arrival – birthday! – we went on to celebrate several midsummer birthdays. The high point of my birthday this year was when David surprised me by weeding my big flower bed in the front of the house (which had been completely neglected by me since the baby) and putting out mulch. Wow! It still looks great and hardly a weed has returned. Also memorable was the delicious Mandarin Orange Cake that Victoria made for me. Mmm. I am not very excited about turning 40 next year but it has got me to thinking about people who have aged gracefully (and I don’t mean hair dye and cosmetic surgery)and wondering how they did it.

On Sylvia’s birthday we picked her up from her week long missions trip. A funny moment for her was during a group gathering when one of the kids on the trip, at about 1 a.m., asked her "How old are you?" and she said "What time is it?" Learning that it was after midnight, she replied, "Sixteen!". She had a great time with youth and with Jesus that week. A couple of days after her birthday, her friend, who had recently passed her driver’s test, came, with her sister, and took her and Victoria out for a day of shopping. A taste of independence!! (A test of faith for Mom & Dad!)

Samuel turned 3 on June 30^th and opened his presents one by one throughout the day, keeping him busy and very happy! A morning Veggie Tales video, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, coloring and dinner with the Gallivans. He loved his big truck from Grama & Papa Gagnebin.

Leandra, now 12, got to take a shopping trip with her friend Naomi. After a new haircut, shoe shopping, chinese food and trying on jeans, they had fun trying on formal gowns and taking pictures of each other. They enjoyed their 2 night sleepover. Leandra had frozen oreo dessert instead of a cake (after 3 cakes, we were ready for something different!) but we could not find the camera and did not get a photo of her blowing out her candles. The only photos we have of her day are ones where she looks much too grown up!

Geneva got to celebrate her big day (turning 8!) in Indiana this year. She had a blast in the pool with siblings and cousins and a great cookout at G’ma & G’pa Ulmers. We got to stay for 4 days and enjoyed every minute. One day we went down to the Creation Museum. We loved the film about the immensity of the universe and enjoyed seeing the dinosaur models.

"Born of Water and the Spirit"

Little Gregory was baptized "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" on July 26^th, the feast day of the Blessed Mother’s parents, Joachim & Anne. We prayed a novena (nine day prayer modeled after the 9 days of prayer by Mary & the Apostles between the Ascension and Pentecost) to prepare for his special day. Sts. Anne & Joachim were interceding for him and for us for some special requests. One of them was the success of the Couple to Couple League (CCL) Convention. CCL had chosen these saints as patrons of the organization just weeks before. We feel a closeness and friendship with Jesus’ grandparents now that is made possible through the communion of the saints.

Gregory is now 3 months old and weighs 17 lbs. and is 24 inches long. Big boy! He bats away at Cookie Monster and Big Bird on his play gym. He spits up, grins, splashes in the bathtub, coos and almost sleeps through the night! He has a small peach fuzz on his head and he smells heavenly. He seems to be adjusting well to the noisy household and rather enjoys the many faces that come before him to ooh and ah, tickle and talk. He still rates pretty high on the fussy scale.

Surfin’ with the Holy Spirit

This was the summer’s Vacation Bible School theme. The kids learned that they form a ‘daring duo’ when they join with the Holy Spirit to practice Holy Daring (Boldness). They loved all the activity, snacks and music and they brought baby gifts for the local Pregnancy Center. I helped in the ‘Tot Spot’ caring for Sam, Gregory and another little girl and Sylvia was the guide for the big group of 4 year-olds. That was a big job! Victoria & Leandra helped by performing in the daily skits (featuring a different Saint or ‘Holy Hero’), making a lot of posters & decorations,_teaching songs and leading kids around from station to station. It was a very blessed week. John was singing the song about the sacraments for a month!

A Blue Ridge Blast

Our vacation this year was going to the CCL Convention in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. Over 200 families joined for 3 full days of speakers and workshops for the adults (Theology of the Body, NFP Research, Breastfeeding, Holy Sex (Greg Popcak’s new book), the changes and future direction of CCL were some of the main topics) and lots of activities for the kids. We all had such a great time. Personally, one of my favorite workshop was "The Corporal Works of Mommy" which reminded me that the work I do at home is some of the holiest work there is and I don’t have to be out volunteering outside the home (which I often feel a pull to do) to follow God’s commands. I can ‘give food to the hungry’, ‘give drink to the thirsty’, ‘care for the sick’ and ‘clothe the naked’ (these are some of the Corporal Works of Mercy) right here in my own home!

After meeting so many wonderful people (acquiring some new pen pals & e-pals) and getting to spend more time with the Gallivans, we headed back to Ohio by way of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a beautiful drive with many places to stop and enjoy the view.

Final Highlights

Some other highlights of the summer were a Jr. High Church retreat (for Leandra & Victoria) which included river rafting and rock climbing, a few visits to Cowan Lake with our homeschool group, David and the kids beginning a ‘mini-barn’ project with scrap wood from the big barn, enjoying garden beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and corn (with more to come – zucchini, apples & grapes), taking Sylvia out on the country roads to get her started with driving, giving Crosley a good haircut and bath, starting an NFP summer class series, Victoria getting 8 inches cut off her hair and starting to do some running for exercise, staying up late to watch Olympics, David & Victoria cleaning the rubber carpet-backing off the basement floor to get it ready for painting, visiting with the Drummonds, Gallivans, Piovesans, Reeds (Gregory’s godparents), Hutzkys, Farrs, Ann Walsh & kids, the Munoz family, our neighbors the Hallahans, a church friend Jeeth (who is from India) and his visiting parents and Sue (Brown) Ramsey. Victoria’s softball team came in 2^nd in the league and though Riley’s team did not place, he played really well all season. We said farewell to the Wests (going to Japan for 3 yrs.) who will be missed and had a family campout out in the back yard.

Overall, the summer was low stress, happy, full of family time and well, beautiful. Hope you had a good summer, too.

Ready, set, school!

On Monday we start school and have a planning meeting for the year’s Blessed Margaret activities. Then begins, band, piano, Cub Scouts, more Drivers Ed. classes, and HEART homeschool co-op. Sylvia will take Gov’t, American Literature & Chemistry at the community college starting later in Sept. Leandra will begin violin lessons next week. Riley will get to go on an overnight with David Gallivan and celebrate his 10^th birthday soon. We will study Ohio History this year and John will begin Kindergarten.

Thanks for reading and thanks to Victoria for the photos.

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Jun. 27, 2008
BETHELBROOK UPDATE

Yes, it’s already mid-year! Well, at least you know I haven’t fallen off the planet and that the busy Ulmer life continues!

Winter Maple Syrup

In February, thanks to Victoria doing some info-gathering legwork, our family produced about 1 pint of maple syrup! Our trees here are part of a former sugaring woods and the old tap holes are still evident on many of the Sugar Maples. Since moving here, we have dreamed of making syrup but we were a bit intimidated and our lack of experience held us back. Victoria expressed interest in making the project happen and her Aunt Cindy got her the book, Backyard Sugaring, for a Christmas gift. We bought 4 sap buckets and spouts for each of the kids who I thought could haul a full bucket!

David, Victoria and Riley collected the sap and waited through the long evaporation process (12 hours!), adding wood to the fire to keep the sap boiling. Victoria brought it inside to the stove for the final step (David had to leave for work and I went to bed!). She did it! Now that we have successfully produced some syrup, we may make this an annual event. It is very time-consuming but I suppose some kids wouldn’t mind skipping some school work for a couple days in the middle of the winter to tend the fires!

HEART Finale

After another fun year of our homeschool co-op with the kids taking some enrichment classes like basketball, photography, crafts, weather, book studies, art and much more, we celebrated with our end-of-the-year FINALE. I taught drama again this year and the class put on a presentation of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The kids did a great job memorizing lines, putting together costumes, contributing to the set and performing the play. Sylvia was the Duchess (‘pepper mostly!’), Victoria the Mock Turtle (beautiful soup!!!) and Leandra played the Mad Hatter (and pretty convincing, too). Now Leandra is daily asking me, "Mom, do you have the play picked out for next year?"

A Gift with Strings Attached

A very kind lady who works at the library and has always been very attentive to our kids (especially Geneva who is always picking her brain for more fairy tale books) gave us a violin!! She could not use it and was looking for someone who would like to learn to play. When Leandra expressed some interest in the violin, she jumped at the chance to give her the instrument. Wow! Leandra will start lessons in the fall. That
makes a free organ and a free violin all within a year! Anyone have a French Horn or Clarinet they want to get rid of? :*)

Life is Sweet

This was the inscription Victoria put on her birthday cake this year. Now that she is thirteen, we have two teenagers!! Sylvia did get her driving permit and though she’s had it for over two months now has only logged about 1 hour of driving!!

Life is sweet

Easter & Spring Break

For Easter this year, we enjoyed the company of the Gallivan family. We had an egg hunt in the front yard with many happy, hunting children. The week after Easter we took a much needed vacation from school work and had some friends over that we had not seen for a while. It was good to visit with the Orchards, Brausches, Hatfields and Piovesans.

Time for a break

This year we decided not to do 4-H. We showed up at a meeting (we have a small club) and we were the only ones there! This was our first hint that it might be a good time to take a break. We won’t raise chickens and we will get to go visit G’ma & G’pa Ulmer during fair week for a change! After 8 years of club responsibilities and project work, it was time for a breather. We will probably take next year off, too, as we hope to go out West for a family vacation.

April: Ear infection, field trips, testing and scrapbooking

John & Sam had ear infections in April. Sam had his ear drum burst for the 2nd time in 3 months! David took both boys to an ENT and the Dr. was not concerned about Sam but said John had some hearing loss (because of fluid behind the ear drum) in one ear.
We enjoyed a field trip to the Victoria Theatre to see King Tut and we also went to the Cincinnati Zoo. Our Blessed Margaret Homeschool Group continues to be such a big source of encouragement and friendship. We had to take Sylvia on a 1 hr. ride to her testing site each day for five days so she could take her OGTs (Ohio Graduation Test). 10 hours of driving! Thankfully, that was before gas prices went up to $4.00 a gallon and the site was near a lot of stores and a mall so I could get my shopping fill for a while. :*) Victoria had 3 days of testing (only 30
minutes away – woohoo!) in Hillsboro. At home, I did 2 days of testing with Leandra, Riley & Geneva. No driving necessary. In April, I got to go for a second full day of scrapbooking (the first day was in February). From 9 a.m.-8 p.m. in a room full of women devoted to getting those scrapbooks done, I was able to start John’s baby book and make more progress in Geneva’s. I did work at home organizing
pictures and preparing page ideas so I really got a lot of pages done
this winter/spring. I love to do it. Only wish I had more time!!!

A very eventful May

At the beginning of May I had a 2nd ultrasound. Results showed the baby was already full-term size and I still had 3 weeks to go before due date
(May 25). Thinking we might have another whopper of a boy, we scheduled
an induction for May 13.
In the meantime, Geneva had her 1st Communion. She was so very excited about receiving the Eucharist and she had spent much time in preparation both at home and at church. She had a big party afterwards with dinner and cake and friends and gifts. A beautiful day to remember!!

Gigi's 1st communion

In early May, Riley started his first season to play baseball. He has been patiently practicing at home with Victoria and had a great debut at his first game when he got to pitch. He threw a lot of strikes and struck
out 3 batters! With all the rain, 4 out of 5 of his first games were cancelled which was disappointing to say the least. Victoria is also playing this spring and does a great job at 1st base.

My mom arrived on May 8 so I got to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom this year! David grilled up some great steaks for all of us and we
anticipated the arrival of our new baby. A boy! Gregory arrived after only 4 hours of labor just in time for lunch on a Tuesday (the 13th, as planned).

baby and boys

The Dr. broke my water at 9a.m. and my labor progressed on its own. Gregory arrived with a lusty cry weighing 9lbs 9oz. I’m glad we didn’t wait another 2 weeks! Many friends prayed that the labor would go well and I would be able to go without the pitocin or epidural. I’m so grateful for God’s help and strength through another labor. Four boys and
four girls. Eight beautiful healthy children. We have a lot to be thankful for!!! We received meals from about a dozen different families so we were very blessed and well fed through our adjustment period. Mom & Dad Ulmer came to see baby and Victoria’s band concert 2 days after his birth. Cousin Timothy and my Dad came out to visit as well. Gregory is growing well (already about 13 lbs!) and though he is sort of fussy, he has many willing hands here ready to hold and soothe him.

School is out!

It is so nice to be done with another school year. The kids did well this year and stuck it out to the very end (yes, they had to finish their math
books!). Leandra is enrolled in K12 for fall when she enters the 7th grade. John is very excited about starting Kindergarten and getting on track to learn to read! I have a lot of cleaning out and planning to do, but for now, I am just enjoying not thinking about school! Anything else? Well...
We enjoyed seeing our brother-in-law, David Cox, initiated into the Cedarville Athletic Hall of Fame, we taught a series of the new NFP course, David saw another Confirmation Class through their preparation as their teacher, David is now in the last weeks of his orientation to the SRU (Specialty Resource Unit) at Children’s (so far, so good!), our basement flooded (goodbye carpets.), our community is losing thousands of jobs because DHL(the shipping business) is being bought out, and my
brother and his wife had a new son, Nathan, born on Father’s Day! That’s the news from Bethelbrook for now. Keep in touch and thanks for reading!

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Feb. 25, 2008
Blogging: a New Year's Resolution I Did Not Make

It's already more than 6 weeks into the New Year and I have not updated my blog! The Christmas letter went out (more or less on time) and my good friend TeacherPerson and her family went off to England and was in need of a few good snail-mail letters so it's not that I've given up communication with friends and family completely!

So an update of the last 3 months.

BARN UPDATE

The barn is finished! I must say I think it looks absolutely wonderful next to our house and I hope it will serve it's purpose well. It certainly is storing plenty of things already. When it was first finished, in spite of the cold temperatures (Nov), a few of the kids would take their school books and go out and do their work in the loft! That didn't last long.

David struggled through the barn-building wondering if we really needed it, if we were spending too much (using God's money wisely), if it was going to be well-built etc. but he consoles himself with the thought that in ten years (when we are helping kids pay for college and not making major purchases) he will not regret having the outbuilding. this is not the first time my frugal husband as suffered from Buyer's Remorse. If he can't get something second hand at a huge fraction of the original cost he has Buyer's Remorse, so I can see how such a big investment was a tough step!

We thank God for the Barn. For a Christmas gift we were able to find (with the help of a neighbor), at a price even David approved, a big star that will go on the front. He loved it!

JOHN's BIRTHDAY

John celebrated his 5th birthday on the 26th of November. He got a guitar from his grandparents! Lately, he has been getting into playing Junior Monopoly and he just seems like such a big boy.

HOLIDAYS

Looking back, I just keep rejoicing in the good health we had all through the holidays. We were very blessed to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas (after morning at home) in Seymour. Having David's sister Cindy, and David and all the kids in the states for the season was a real gift. My queasiness did last into Thanksgiving but I was feeling good by Christmas. Another gift!

A GODSON

Our good friends, the Gallivans, honored David and me by asking us to be Godparents to their new baby! He was born in December and Baptized on February 3rd. Little Nathaniel Richard is a real treasure and we look forward to encouraging him through his walk with Christ.

BABYSITTERS SURE ARE NICE

After 15 years, our Sylvia, is now a seasoned babysitter and David and I sure are enjoying nights out together with her faithfully watching kids at home. After 2 fundraising banquets in the fall, we had another in January (Appreciation for teachers at Church), and then another this past week (We Believe in Marriage Banquet - also at church). I think we could keep up this one-banquet-a-month pace!

YES, I DID MAKE A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

Not blog entries. Potty training seemed more pressing this year. Since Dec 31, Samuel has been working to acquire this new skill. After 7 weeks, I have good news and bad news. He knows what to do when we get the the potty but he VERY seldom tells us when he needs to go. So we are still on the 'every hour or two' schedule depending on his fluid intake. Another roadblock, bowel movements. After sitting for LONG periods with him in the bathroom and reading and singing and even addressing his waste products directly (this always amuses), we have had only 3 successful bowel movements on the potty (and none of those were in the last 3 weeks). It does tax my patience and creativity, but I suppose it has been good quality time with Sam. It will all come in time. The old encouragement "I have yet to see a college student who was not potty-trained" is not always helpful at this stage but I don't despair. I waited 6 months for one of my kids to acquire the BM skill so I may be in for a bit of a wait. Good news is we've saved a lot a diapers! Also, I have three daughters and a husband who all work with me to take the frequent trips to the bathroom. Go team!

ULTRASOUND

In mid-January I had an ultrasound. Early in the pregnancy I made a suggestion that maybe we could keep the baby's gender a secret and find out at the delivery. Ha! That suggestion was thoroughly shot down by my family and well, frankly, I was curious, too. We've always known what we were having and it is kind of nice to call baby by name through the pregnancy. We are having another boy (the score is even!) and unless some major mind-changing occurs, we will name him Gregory Lawrence. Riley is the family name, John, the New Testament name, Samuel, the Old Testament name and now Gregory, the Saint name. Gregory the Great was a great Pope and Doctor of the church (Heard of Gregorian Chant?). Baby is due on the feast of Gregory the VII (May 25), another sainted Pope (not all Popes were canonized Saints!), though I bet he will be born a little earlier as his predecessors have done. Lawrence is the middle name of David and his father and the first name of his Grandfather Ulmer. All family members seem well-staisfied with the choice.

NEW POSITION FOR DAVID

No, he is not going to day shift. It just does not seem to be the time. David will be going to a new dept. at the hospital in a few weeks. SRU (Specialty Resource Unit) is the unit that provides nurses to departments that are understaffed; professional float nurses, I guess you could say. He is looking forward to the change. He has already been given the time off for vacation this sumer, which is nice!

NO DRIVE

This describes our level of motivation to get Sylvia her permit. Se does not seem too eager, it is not convenient right now and I guess we are not in a big hurry! Maybe next month :*)

OTHER NOTABLES

We finished our training to teach the NEW NFP COURSE (hurray!!!) and taught Class 1 a couple of times already. We like the new format but are still adjusting to the changes. More on this to come, I'm sure!

Sylvia and David had a great visit to D.C. for the MARCH FOR LIFE. Sylvia was thrilled to get close to friends in the youth group.

Victoria did great at her FIRST BAND CONCERT. G'ma & G'pa Ulmer were able to come out for the event. This semester she was invited to play with both intermediate AND advanced bands. A real compliment from her band director.

Our Homeschool Group sponsored a SQUARE DANCE in Feb. and it was a hit! Our kids realy enjoyed it. I stayed home with sick kids. We've had sore throats, fevers, ear infections, coughs and quite a bit of sickness these past few weeks.

I am full of anticipation for next Saturday when I wil attend an all-day SCRAPBOOKING EVENT! I will begin John's baby book and I have been getting photos and accessories ready for the 11 hour crop. I hope I don't get sick!

LENT has begun and we are preparing our hearts for Easter. Victoria's b-day will be on Holy Thursday this year (the day before Good Friday). It will be a very early Easter. The call to examine our consciences, to repent and to purify our hearts anew is powerfully present int he liturgy. Psalm 51 is often read... "A clean heart create in me, Oh God...Restore to me the joy of your Salvation" What a powerful Scripture passge that is.

This was extremely long! thanks for reading.

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