We're keeping so busy around here this week, I'm having trouble finding the time to write about it. Tuesday Dick had off work. We took Destiny to see the Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeakquel. It was cute. Later we went to Ruby Tuesdays with Anthony, Lori, and Austin. We were pretty proud of how well Austin did in a setting like that where he had to be pretty much confined. Here are some pics I took with my cell phone.
Last evening Dick and Destiny finished the jigsaw puzzle.
Destiny was in the mood for sewing yesterday, and I don't have any fabric here, so I let her cut up an old pair of my khakis to make things with. She ended up using the elastic waistband to make a headband for Dick, hahaha!
Today Destiny went along to work with Lori. A co-worker had her daughter along too, and they had fun together. We also went to the library and hung out for a while. This evening Lori took Destiny along to her dance class. The same co-worker goes to that class and had her daughter along again.
Today on Facebook Lisa posted pictures that I had to steal. Sophie wanted to have a pretend wedding, so Lisa let Sophie wear her veil, and George stood as the pretend husband. The pictures are too sweet for words. Lisa said she had a lump in her throat and she thinks George had a bigger one, hahahahahaha!!! She said they'll show these pictures at her real wedding in about 30 years. I hate to remind them how old they'll be if she waits 30 years to get married, but it's kind of funny to think about it. Good grief, Dick and I might not even be around for it if she waits that long. Now that's a sad thought. I think I'd better stop now before I get a lump in my throat.
We're having a really nice Christmas vacation, all except Dick. He has worked the past three days, but finally has a day off tomorrow. The rest of us have pretty much been hanging around the house. Well, of course on Sunday morning we went to church. There was a joint service with about six other State College area churches. It was okay, but not as meaningful as the services at Anthony and Lori's church.
Here are some pictures I've taken the past few days. First of all is Austin receiving the Fisher Price farm that Dick and I got him for Christmas. He was mainly interested in tasting it!
Here's Destiny looking good in the shirt Sam gave her for Christmas and the temporary flower tatoo that Thyda put on her cheek.
I got a jigsaw puzzle for Dick and Destiny to work on together this week. She didn't want to wait for him to get home from work, so I let her start it today. I was impressed when I saw that she had already gotten the entire edge put together.
She's so good with Austin and is a great help in entertaining him. He just loves her so much.
He was coming after my camera!
I got a package of sugar cookie dough for Destiny to decorate. We set up shop in the laundry and she had a wonderful time. They tasted just as wonderful after they were baked.
This was an unusual, but wonderful Christmas. Now that I'm back to my computer I'll try to do a proper post. (Sorry this will be a repeat of some of the things I wrote in my previous post.)
Since Lori and Anthony were not able to get to our family fondue party last Saturday, we decided to do one up here on Christmas Eve. Even with just five of us, it was a lot of fun.
Austin started out here,
then here,
and finally here, watching a Baby Einstein video nearby.
A knock at the door brought a delightful visit from Lori and Anthony's pastor Mackenzie and his beautiful wife, bringing us some of his homemade peanut brittle.
We were planning to have Christmas morning with Anthony, Lori, and Austin, but the weather forecast called for ice, so Dick decided it would be better for us to head to Lancaster County after our fondue was finished. I was disappointed, because I had planned to make croissant egg sandwiches, an on-again-off-again Christmas morning tradition of ours over the years. However, Anthony and Lori encouraged us to leave that evening and said we could have the croissants Saturday morning.
We left about 9:30 PM and arrived at our Lititz house at 11:45. The house wasn't so cold this time, because Ray and Thyda have been staying there this week while on their leave. They got there shortly after we did, after having been with her family for their Christmas Eve service.
Christmas morning was extremely laid back and slow - just what I needed. Miki called from Sweden, and we probably talked for an hour. What a treat! I also talked with Jeremy by phone, because I wanted to make sure he heard Celine Dion sing O Come, All Ye Faithful in a live Christmas show that ABC was broadcasting.
By 2:00 Sam and Jenn as well as Frank and Destiny, Frank's friend Kayla and her daughter were there. We had the most non traditional Christmas meal imaginable - cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream sundaes. It's the best I could do this year. But the fun we had being together, eating, laughing, and playing games made up for it. Here are random pictures from the day.
We parted ways around 7:30 PM, Dick, Destiny, and I driving back to State College in the rain. Thankfully the temperature was in the high 30's, so it wasn't ice. I talked a while with Lisa as we drove. When we walked into the house at 10 PM I said, "Merry Christmas" to Anthony before I went downstairs to our quarters. And with that I had talked with all seven of our children on Christmas day!
Dick had to be at work by 8 this morning, but before he left I made sure he had his croissant egg sandwich. The rest of us had ours a few hours later. Yummmmm.
JUST A QUICK UPDATE HERE FROM MY IPHONE, WHICH IS INSISTING ON ALL CAPITAL LETTERS FOR SOME REASON (SIGH)
WE HAD OUR SECOND FONDUE LAST EVENING, THIS TIME WITH ANTHONY AND LORI IT WAS ANOTHER FUN TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEIR PASTOR AND HIS WIFE STOPPED IN. I'LL INSERT PICTURES WHEN I GET BACK TO MY COMPUTER. WE HAD PLANNED TO COME DOWN TO LANCASTER COUNTY TODAY TO GET DESTINY FROM FRANK AND TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME WITH SOME OF THE KIDS BUT WHEN DICK SAW THE FORECAST GOR FREEZING RAIN FOR STATE COLLEGE FOR THIS MORNING, HE DECIDED HE'D RATHER DO THE DRIVING LAST NIGHT. SO AFTER OUR FONDUE WE PACKED UP AND LEFT AROUND 9:30, ARRIVING HERE AT 11:45. WE'RE JUST LAZING AROUND THIS MORNING, THE GUYS WILL COME THIS AFTERNOON, THEN WE'LL HEAD BACK TO STATE COLLEGE THIS EVENING. DICK HAS TO BE AT WORK AT 8 IN THE MORNING. DESTINY WILL BE SPENDING THE WEEK WITH US. I JUST HAD A LONG, WONDERFUL TALK WITH MIKI
What a boy, what a boy! Eleven months old and on the move. Every day he tries or discovers something new, and it takes constant vigilance to keep him from destroying himself or the house. Today he discovered that the blue thing on the water cooler, when pulled down, makes water come out.
He also discovered that the doors under the bench seat in the living room slide back and forth. In fact, they can pinch your fingers. But of course, he had to discover that several times.
As I've said before, he is a climber and he's strong! (Lori nicknamed him Brutus today.) As he was making his rounds in the kitchen this morning (under my very close supervision), he tasted every drawer pull, tried to climb the drawer pulls, looked at himself in and banged on the microwave door (which is below counter level), tasted the numbers on the microwave panel, pulled on the water cooler lever, pulled the drain tray of the water cooler off, losing his balance in the process, cried, then moved on to the oven. He hung onto the oven door handle, put his feet on the handle of the drawer under the oven door, pulled the oven door open a little bit, then reached up to touch the stove top. Oh so quickly, I pulled him away, which greatly offended and angered him.
Whenever I carry him, he is stretching and pulling to grab everything in sight. As I pass through doorways I have to be careful, lest he might have his "wings" spread! He hates to lie down to have his diaper changed. And he has the strongest set of "Witmer pipes" I've ever heard.
Lori asked me today if I still love my job. (Probably referring to the ending of last night's post.) I assured her that I've been down this road before! And yes, I still love my job!
We had a tremendously fun-filled, exhausting weekend. Once again, I've got a boatload of pictures to share. We left for Lancaster County Thursday evening and arrived at our Lititz house late. I took pictures of the flowers from Sam and Jenn one last time. At first they didn't seem to be looking too bad at six weeks of age.
But how very sad some of them looked. The minute I moved them, they dropped their leaves all over the place! So good-bye, birthday flowers!
On Friday Dick helped to run the sound for Manheim Christian's final rehearsal and both programs. I waited till noon to arrive. It was my first time back this school year, and oh my..... What a mixture of emotions it brought to me. It was just delightful to receive hugs and enthusiastic welcomes from former co-workers and students, and almost equally delightful to enjoy the program from a front row seat instead of being in charge of every minute of it. It most certainly was easier on my feet!
Last year I had considered using the musical, An Unexpected Christmas, one I had done in 2003. It was truly one of the funniest I had ever done. Many people will never forget Brandon Kreider playing the part of Hank. But then I realized that that would be the perfect musical to use this current year because a certain boy named Kevin Wagner would be an eighth grader, and he would certainly do a great job as Hank. And then God changed my plans and led me away from that job. So I told the new music teacher that she certainly could do whatever she wanted for a musical this Christmas, but I showed her the one I had intended to use, and why. She was glad to take my suggestion. And oh. my. word. It was GREAT! Kevin was so funny playing the part of Hank, and as you can imagine, I was just bursting out laughing all the time. Everyone else in the drama did so well too, and I was just so extremely proud of them.
The program ended with 5th grade Hannah Groff singing Go Light Your World as students along the sides of the gym held candles in the dark. Hannah did a fantastic job, and the atmosphere was beautifully reverent.
There were so many people to hug and talk to afterward. Here's one special little girl, Kiana, now a 2nd grader, who is already an amazing piano player.
I forgot to mention that between the afternoon and evening programs Dick and I went to visit my dear step mother and then went to Reading to pick up Destiny. Destiny enjoyed sitting with me at the program for the first time ever in her life. She was also happy to see her friend FuFu. They were classmates when Destiny went to Manheim Christian in kindergarten.
I did not sleep much that night. Ray and Thyda had left their house in Norfolk around 6:00 PM and it didn't take long till they were in the snowstorm that was starting its trek up the east coast. I was in touch with them many times throughout the night. I am not kidding when I say that they did not arrive at our house until after 6:30 AM!! A trip that usually takes 6 hours! It had been a nightmare of traffic and snow.
The snow arrived in our area around 4 AM and continued to come down all day long. But somehow Dick and I managed to get to a grocery store, Sam and Jenn managed to get to our place from Downingtown, and Frank made it from his weekend job in Harrisburg. Anthony and Lori had planned to come down too, but wisely chose not to. It was definitely not weather for taking a baby on a road trip.
And why was everyone coming to our house in such horrible weather? For our annual fondue, a tradition that precedes Sam, Frank, or Ray's entrance into our family. We LOVE it! We start with many meats, etc to be deep fried in pots of oil, then we have a great cheese fondue for dipping tortilla chips, etc into, and we end with a chocolate fondue for fruits and pretzels, etc.
Ray and Thyda
Sam and Jennifer
Frank and his friend Kayla
And of course, Destiny, so happy to be able to spend a day with her dad.
And Mom and Pop!
After our meal the high energy crowd went outside in the snow.
Look how it piled up on that round table!
When they came back, some of us played Life,
Thyda and Destiny did puzzles,
and Dick rested his painful ankle.
We had already been told that church would be cancelled in the morning, so we were able to sleep in Sunday morning. What a rare privilege! Of course we had to see how much snow we had when we got up. I think we got about a foot.
After a pancake breakfast Ray took Destiny sledding on a nearby hill.
Later Ray played Chess with her. What a nice uncle. Actually Destiny is extremely blessed with nice uncles.
And this is our grandcat, Jade. She belongs to Ray and Thuda.
Sometime throughout the day we found out that our church would be having the 6:30 candlelight service, including the little children's program that was to have been presented in the morning service. So I suddenly had to hike things into high gear. I really wasn't in the mood, but once we were there I was.
Once again I watched a children's program that I was not directing and I completely enjoyed myself. They did such a super job. Here are the shepherds...
....and the choir.
Unfortunately, I was sitting on the wrong side for getting a picture of the manger scene.
We took Destiny home afterward, then went to our house to do some very necessary cleanup. We left at 7:15 this morning to return to State College.
I was so eager to see and hug and hold and kiss Austin. We had the best, sweetest day together today. I love my job.
