Another Roadtrip

So, I came back to NY for a couple of days.....grabbed G and the boys....and drove back to NJ. I wanted the boys to see their new town....or actually have G help me choose a town. Plus, I was determined to find a place to rent for the year.

We loaded in the car....and hit the road. We also hit a snowstorm that caused our trip to be much longer than we expected. The boys were bundled in the back seat. Ross had a little green hat on that kept twisting and turning. At one point he said....."I look Scottish in this hat".

We chatted and listened to music. When this song came on the radio it made us all a little homesick.... (NY is known as the empire state)

Ross had us giggling....when we drove through the city of Syracuse and he saw the tall buildings, he asked if we were in NYC. We told him no, but then we all started chatting about NYC. He exclaimed...... "I'm not feeling sad anymore, I'm curious. Hey Sam! I'm curious about New Jersey."

He remained curious for most of the trip....and well into our first day in NJ. After meeting with a realtor and viewing a number of houses.......his curiosity turned to exhaustion. As did all of ours. All the rentals that I had viewed with my girlfriends...did not look as good(for us) during my second viewing. Our realtor actually did not have a whole lot to show us...discouraging.

We trudged back to our hotel.....tired, hungry and confused. This is where I would like to shout a big....."thank you-you are just so sweet!" to Bunny. (her wonderful blog is...The Paris House )She lives within an hour from our new town and was just so gracious and welcoming. We did not get to meet this time, but I look forward to meeting her soon!

So, speaking of the hotel....

We all shared a few tears about moving......shared our fears and thoughts....and shared more than a few hugs.

We also shared......some take out Chinese food. I have to say....it was some of the best Chinese take out I have ever had.

After dinner.....we got a little silly with the camera. I blame it on being exhausted....we were also trying to make the boys laugh with our poses.

I think I see a couple of smiles forming.

Maybe a few giggles too?

We are looking sad and tired.

By morning....we were feeling refreshed and a bit more positive. We prayed and asked the Lord to lead us to our home. We believed that he already had it chosen for us.

We visited a few apartment communities...and were pleased to find one that has a super large sports area for the boys.....a temporary home that will meet our needs for the year. I can't wait to share pictures once we move in.....in March!

We are leaving our roomy home.....built and decorated just the way we wanted it. We are leaving 5 acres of fun in the country.....and we are leaving those we love dearly.

But.....we will be together. We will be just fine ;)

Enough

Enough with all this back pain......pituitary chatter.....low energy levels...enough I say! Ahhh, thank you for letting me get that off my chest.

So, on to other things.....math for example. We've hit a little road block in math this week. But we are determined to push through it. It was bound to happen....sooner or later. I was never very good in math.....teaching it has been frustrating  interesting.

I really like our math curriculum.....that makes the whole process a bit easier.

The boys have had the bonus of Greg being home and able to ...... "guest teach". That has made the whole

process a bit easier too.

Fail Us Not-1000 Generations

There are certain songs that just give me butterflies. Yes, I just said that. Strange but true. If I'm driving in my car and one of my favorite songs come on.....I sing out loud.....very loud. This is one of those songs. I dare you to listen to it and not start singing. Ok, maybe I don't dare you.....but I encourage you to listen....it may put a pep in your step and it just might....give you some butterflies too.

I'm singing along to it right now. Don't you wish you were here to enjoy that? Ha! But along with butterflies....this song speaks to me. Loudly! It touches my heart and makes me feel less alone. Read the words that pop up as the music plays. We all have something going on, something we might be struggling with.
Enjoy.

Sam's Special Soup Recipe

 The boys often wake up before G and me. Usually, they will engage in some pretend play. Remember their favorite characters Fy and Tz? Over the past year, they have elaborated on the story of Fy and Tz.....they even have a last name now...."Marine".  They also have an extended family, favorite foods, fears and ,dreams. I keep telling myself that I need to write all the details down for the boys......this is something very important that I must do.

This morning.....I could hear the boys sitting on the stairs and chatting. There was some talk of baseball and teams. I'm not really sure. I was pretty much still in dream land myself. Until.......I heard....."I wish you weren't my brother!"....."Well, I wish you lived somewhere else". And then there were feet running in different directions. They wanted nothing to do with each other. Passions were flying.

I remember saying the exact same things to my siblings when I was a child.

I called to the boy who was closest to our room and asked what was the matter......why did they start arguing? Sam proceeded to tell me again about how he wished his brother lived somewhere else, etc, etc. I told him that I understood that feeling.....and that I get mad at people too. We chatted a bit about that.....about how Uncle Robbie and I would fight as children....even up until we went off to college.

Sam then said that Fy has a story about being angry. He shared it with me....

"Do you know what Fy does when he gets angry?  His Daddy has a special recipe for soup. And do you know what the ingredients are? The fruit of the spirit!"

"Really??!"....... I asked.

Sam replied....."yes.....Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self Control....those are the special ingredients.... Fy eats it and then he isn't angry anymore!!

We continued to chat.....and he continued to touch my heart. Then he ran to Ross. Now Ross was waiting... thinking that the fight was going to continue. He was thinking....I need to be tough and defend myself (I'm guessing). He quickly shut the door before Sam could get in. Sam yelled.....

"Ross....wait.....I'm sorry!!".    Ross opened the door and said.....  "Me toooooo!"   They hugged and started playing again. The fight was over....just like that.

" A kind word turns away anger, but harsh words make tempers flare." Proverbs 15:1

I struggle in different areas......with different fruit....each day. Self control.......patience.......love......all of them, really. I'm going to work on keeping our home stocked with those special ingredients......because they do make one fantastic recipe.

Pieces Of Our Week

A few photos of our week......
We had fun with our puppet friends. The fox puppet even taught school one day. She did a great job and had the boys laughing. Though she had to stay clear of the skunk who often wanted to spray her.....the lamb kept peace between the two.

There was some Mad Libbing and music making going on.

Ross was very serious about his music.....as Sam was about his Mad Libs.

Even though the temperature was super low.....we went sledding.

We were all so bundled up it was hard to tell who was who.

Except in the photo below....we uncovered for a moment. Our lips were frozen.

They look cold!

Brrrrrrr......but fun.

After the boys watched an episode of Curious George....an episode where George was juicing.......they decided that they would like to try juicing. Thankfully we had a juicer......collecting dust....that we could put to  use.

I'm so glad that the boys suggested juicing.....the juice was delicious.

 

Yum-o!

How We Spent Our First Day of 2010

The first day of 2010 was very fun, relaxing and delicious.....I hope this is an indication of how the rest of the year will go. We spent the day with my family.....some from far, some from near.

                                                                   We ate......food.....

....glorious food.

All kinds of comfort food......that's our usual menu for New Year's Day.

My mom brought her famous tiny pocket sandwich maker. We've been using it for years.....since I was

a little girl. And she also made her signature cardoons. Delicious.

1,2,3,4...........

I declare a thumb war!

The day ended with a fantabulous family game of dodge ball.

 

It was the adults vs the kids.

Some of us decided to hide hang out in the corner. I'm not naming names.

I'm not sure who won.....but the adults were a bit outnumbered. Just sayin'.

It was pandemonium......

  How can you not have chaos with dodge balls flying everywhere?

Lots of smiles......a very good start to the new year, indeed.