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BloggingI am going to stop blogging for awhile. I need to focus more on my family and spend less time online.Friend's Don't Let Friends Not Drink TeaA family friend is competing for a $20,000 scholarship in the National Calm-a-Sutra of Tea Competition. Good luck Connor!Wordless Wednesday 17 yearsToday is my 17th wedding anniversary. I met Jeff when I was 17 years old, so there is a pleasing symmetry here somehow. I didn't think we did anything special today. Jeff took the healthy dc to church while I stayed home with the sick ones and Noah. When he came home, we made about four bazillion homemade buttermilk donuts together -I made the dough, rolled, and cut while he cooked and rolled in cinnamon sugar. We then served an utterly irresponsible lunch of homemade donuts, home canned applesauce, and ice cold milk. Sometimes we really like utterly irresponsible lunches around here!There were lots of leftover donuts which we all nibbled at all afternoon, so we didn't have the big pot roast dinner I had planned. Instead, we had some BBQ sandwiches from leftover smoked pulled pork that we had for dinner last night. We've been needing a new laptop for the business and Walmart had some for under $400, so we went to Walmart together and picked up a laptop and some scissors. When we came home, we just sort of hung out together while Jeff worked on the new laptop and I sat nearby and chatted with him. No big dinner out, no romantic date, no roses. We didn't even buy cards. I told Jeff that I was afraid this wasn't much of an anniversary . . . then we looked at each other and grinned and both said that we wouldn't have changed a thing. :-) This morning we lazed around in bed playing with the little guys until Jeff absolutely had to leave for church. We had a lot of fun laughing and talking making those donuts. We were blessed to get a laptop for WAY less than we thought, and blessed that the business could buy it. We spent time with 7 of the 8 most wonderful kids in the world. Because Mary Faith is needing lots of snuggles right now, I didn't feel like I had to run around and "do" stuff. I just sat and talked with Jeff while he worked on the computer. We got to laugh (a LOT) at Noah's new dance moves. As soon as I finish this we'll probably get into bed and snuggle with Mary Faith (who still feels really yucky) and watch a couple of old episodes of Get Smart. Life is good. :-) Blessings, Kate PS I recently wrote the story of how Jeff and I met and posted it on a group I'm on. (We were comparing notes!) I thought you might like to hear it so I'm pasting it here. . . . . . Jeff and I met our freshman year of college (PCS). I was 17 and he was 18. I was actually a cheerleader for his soccer team. One day I hurt my arm cheering and ended up on some pain medicine. There was a party for the team and cheerleaders that night and I went even though I was in a sling and couldn't play pingpong or anything. Jeff saw me and felt bad for me, so he sat and talked to me the whole time to keep me company . . . but because of the pain medicine, I wasn't able to remember this! (I'm relying on HIS account LOL). We ran into each other a few days later outside of a class, and I thought he was a friend of my friend's fiancee. Remember, I had forgotten ever meeting him. I walked up and greeting him (thinking he was someone else) and he thought that I was impressed by his kind and gentlemanly behavior from the party. He asked me to go to church with him that night and I agreed. A few minutes later I ran into my friend and her fiancee and mentioned that her fiancee's friend had asked me out. I was horrified when they said that the friend had been off campus all day!!! I didn't know what to do. For all I knew, Jack the Ripper had asked me out LOL, but I decided to go ahead and meet up with him. All the same, meeting at church was surely safe, right? (Not to mention that attendance was mandatory so it would have taken some doing to avoid him, and I couldn't call and cancel since I didn't know who he was!) I sat next to him that night having NO IDEA what his name was, how old he was, or anything. I didn't even realize that he was on the soccer team for which I cheered. As we spoke, he asked me how to spell my last name, which was Till at that time. He told me I was lucky because there was no way that people could mispronounce that name, but that people were forever calling him Jeff Estes (2 short e's) instead of Jeff Estes (1st e short, second e long.) I was SO relieved to learn his name so that I could ask around and get the "scoop" on him. :-) We went to church together the next Sunday, then Wednesday, and so forth. Neither one of us had ever dated before. By October he knew that I was the girl for him, but it took me quite a bit longer to figure out that he was the guy for me. (Poor fella.) Within a year we both knew we would be getting married, and 2 /12 years after we met I got the ring officially. We married in July of '91 right after graduation. I was 21 and he was 22. Here is the funny thing - all of Jeff's life he said he was never going to get married. In kindergarten his written answer to "When I will grow up, I want to be ____" was "not married." No joke. In his senior year of high school he refused to write a paper about the qualities he wanted in a future wife, because he said he was never getting married. He finally had to write it or get an F, but the only criteria that I match is that I am female LOL. He did say he was going to find a cheerleader to date when he went to college, though! When he told his mom midway through his freshman year that he had found his future wife, the poor lady almost had a cardiac event. He now fondly and happily tells people that I ruined all of his plans for his life, and that he is glad I did! (I never did tell him about the whole mistaken identity thing until a couple of weeks before our wedding. He just LOVED to tell people about how I was so moved by his kindness at that party. I hated to burst his bubble, but couldn't stand it any more.) :0) Blessings again, Kate Matthew and Mary Faith(Hannah Update Below This Post)Matthew has been complaining just a little bit about a sore throat for a couple of days. When he woke up this morning, he was feverish and his throat hurt so much he could barely talk, so Jeff took him to the express care place around the corner from our house. (side note - WHY does this stuff always happen on the weekends??) Anyway, it turns out the poor guy has a nasty case of strep throat. Mary Faith has been acting odd for about as long as Matthew has had a sore throat. She wants to nurse but doesn't want to swallow, and a couple of times I've found her drenched in sweat. When I dressed her this morning her tummy was covered in a rough red rash. By the time Matthew and Jeff got home, her whole torso was covered and the rash had spread to her arms and thighs, so I took her to express care. I was concerned that it could be a scarlatina rash - and it turns out I was right. My little sweetie actually has scarlet fever! Thanks to modern antibiotics, this isn't the scary disease of old novels, but she does feel really yucky. (Of course, when the heroines of these old novels would get scarlet fever, it seems like they always required a long convalescence at the sea side . . . . . SURELY it would be irresponsible of me to put too much stock in these new-fangled antibiotics . . . . SURELY the only safe course of action would be to go to some balmy tropical paradise and hang out in a hammock . . . .  ) Ahhh well, I don't see a beach trip anywhere in our future, so we'll just have to settle for amoxicillin and lots of mama-snuggles! All silliness aside, I'm so thankful that these things which used to be so devastating and grave can now easily be treated with some oral antibiotics. We are so blessed to be living in this time and in this place.Of course, the big concern here is keeping Noah safe. Matthew "graciously" informed me that he would be "willing" to just spend the next few days alone in my room so Noah won't be exposed further. He said that if had a laptop, lots of cold sodas, and a stack of old b&w Superman DVD's then he could probably handle the isolation. < Noah has been doing really well. He has discovered that apparently money CAN buy happiness, because he has found it for sale in Walmart. :-) He hasn't been to Walmart much at all. He spent so much time in the hospital, then was on "house arrest" for the influenza season, and now I try to leave a few little ones at home with an older one so I can use the minivan to save gas. The other day Jeff and I went to Walmart and brought Noah along. He went NUTS when he saw the lobsters, and I was reminded of the fish aisle. Noah LOVES fish. We spent literally hundreds of hours in front of the huge fish tank at the hospital in Greenville last year, and the fish seldom failed to soothe and amuse him. We took him to the fish aisle and let him get out of the cart. He rushed to the first tank and gasped, then yelled "feeeesssshhh!" at the top of his lungs. He stared for a minute or two then moved to the next tank, gasped in astonishment, and yelled "feeeeesssshhh!!!" again. He kept this up for more than 15 minutes. We were laughing sooo hard because every time he stepped in front of a tank he would gasp in shock like he was SO surprised each time. We went back to Walmart a few days later and as sooas w got in the door he put his hands on my face and said, "Feesh, Mommy???" You all have seen his pictures and are aware of the Big Bottomless Blue Eyes thing . . . . . . .I was obviously powerless at this point and was compelled to take him back to the fish aisle. We've created a monster LOL, but at least the fish aisle doesn't charge admission. :-) Fish aren't the only aquatic joys in Noah's life right now. A number of VERY sweet and creative blog readers have sent Noah a lovely supply of Aqua-Guards! I'm working on individual thank-you notes, but most of the shipments don't indicate who sent them, so if I don't email or write with a thank-you, that is why. Please just know that Noah is unbelievably happy with these. He has started taking my hand, leading me to the bathroom, pulling back the shower curtain, and saying "Peeeese, (please) Mommy??" while kicking in the pleading eyes. You guys already know I'm a pushover for those eyes, so Noah is taking a lot of very happy baths right now. One reader even sent him a little bath boat that sprays water and spins around. It is so cute and Noah doesn't want to let go of it when he gets out of the bath. One of us dries him while the other one distracts him and gets the boat so we can put it away. :-) Because Noah's TPN starts at bedtime, he has a lot of fluids running in all night. We've tried all sorts of diapers including the nighttime diapers, but he is almost always soaked when he wakes up in the morning. By soaked, I mean drenched from toes to upper chest. It is so sad that he wakes up cold and wet most mornings, and it was incredibly sad that I had to give this cold wet shivering toddler a sponge bath to freshen him up while he cried and cried. That is just NOT a nice way to start the day at all. Now instead of a shivery sponge bath, he can get in a nice warm shower with Mommy or Daddy then play in the tub. It makes me so happy to be able to do this for my sweetie pie. Mary Faith's antibiotics are supposed to be ready for pickup now, so I'm gonna run to the drugstore. We appreciate your prayers so much. (Oh, and Hannah appreciates them too! She read your comments and is planning on an update sometime after she gets home Monday. I miss her SO MUCH! Don't forget to pray for a safe flight late Sunday night for her, please.) Blessings, Kate p.s. I THINK you can give blood elsewhere and credit it to Noah. I'm working on that and will post details when I know that I've got it right. update. (from Hannah)Hi everyone! Well, we finished VBS today, and there is something really sad I need to share. There was this little girl who came everyday to VBS. She is about 3 years old, and so cute. When it was almost time to go, she came up to me and told me that she wanted to come home with me(!) When I told her that she could not come, and that she had to go to her own house, she shook her head no and said that if I left her she would be all alone and scared. : ( I have no idea what her family is like, apart from the fact that her grandma brings her to VBS every day. Please pray for her, Nessa.On the other hand, we are leaving Sunday around 7ish PM. (Is that even a real word??? 7ish?!?) Anywaayyy.... got to run. In Christ Alone, Hannah Grace Estes. It's Time for Some Campaignin'!
Posted by Heather in WI
7:20 AM, Jul. 16, 2008 .. Posted in Our Constitutional Republic .. 2 comments .. Link Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!
MemorizationWith our new school year just around the corner, I'm getting in to planning mode. {grin}For our memorization time, Noah will be memorizing our First Year Poetry Memorization poems. We've switched gears for memorization with John this year -- most of the things he'll be memorizing relate to what he and Noah will be studying in History this year. 1) The Books of the BibleRather than memorize one piece a week (like he's done in the past & like Noah will be doing), John will be working on one piece a month. I think this list is a little ambitious, but completely do-able. As it is, it is only enough material to get us through March, so even if a few pieces take us longer, we'll have three months of wiggle room. Greetings from Minnesota!Hi, this is Hannah updating the blog. The Danielsons (the family I am staying with) are awsome folks, and since they went to our church when they lived in SC, it has been fun catching up. : ) We did our first VBS session today. It was fun playing with the kids. I am going to do my own Blessings List, then I have to go.1. We arrived safely. Plus, our plane landed EARLIER than we expected. (And, no I am not kidding.) 2. When I called mom this morning, she said Noah is doing pretty good. 3. I have NOT been eaten alive by the "state bird". : ) My bug spray works! I am so sorry this is so short. In Christ alone, Hannah Grace Estes. Curricula for 2008-2009Here is an overview of our curricula for this upcoming year:Together: Bible & CatechismJohn: Noah:
Next on my homeschool to-do list? Figuring out which subjects demand my complete attention and which subjects are mostly independent or require only a little supervision for each child. Then, I can create a workable schedule for each child that allows me to work one-on-one with one while the other is working on independent work. { Last Page } { Page 1 of 5 } { Next Page } |
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