Snug as a bug in a rug

Is this the cutest thing you ever saw, or what?? Today I decided to gently wake Austin from his morning nap so his schedule wouldn't get too out of whack. When I walked into his room he stirred, opened his eyes, saw his pacifier and put it into his mouth, then crossed his feet and tucked his legs up underneath him, and continued to sleep. I just had to go for my cell phone for a picture.

This evening Dick and I attended the Jr. High Choral Festival which was held just 30 minutes from here. You may remember that every Spring I would take my students to the festival, which was always held at Lancaster Mennonite High School. This year, however, instead of all the schools meeting for one big festival, there were several regional festivals held, with only four or so schools at each. Lucky for me, the one that my former students took part in was hosted by Belleville Mennonite School and held at Calvary Baptist Church in Lewistown. As seems to always be the case lately, I forgot my camera, so this is the best I could do for a picture of the mass choir with my cell phone. I think they said there were 214 students in it.

Of course, for me, the best part was getting to see my former students and the other music teachers who I had learned to know at previous events. Did it make me miss my job? Yes, this part of the job. I would love to direct a choir again sometime.

But then I look up at the picture at the top of this post, and I know I love my new job even more.

Our toddler

What a boy, what a boy!  Life truly is more fun since Austin can walk.  He walks all the time now, and I still can't get over how cute he looks.  He still looks as delighted as he did when he took his first steps alone the other week. Here's a   cute video Lori posted on Facebook this evening.  He still loves carrying the hula hoop around!

As I've said before, he is very attracted to the guitar that Anthony keeps in the living room. Today he stretched and stretched till his fingers could reach it behind the end table.  Oh, the delight on his face when his fingers strummed across those strings and he heard the music.  He did it again and again.  Immediately afterward, he made a sound that was closer to singing than I've ever heard from him before. 

Jeremy will be in San Antonio, TX the next two days on business for Ashley Furniture. Always trying to stretch his dollars, it was typical of him when he said today,  "Hey, I don't mind getting food and transportation on their dollar for two days!  And building up more frequent flyer miles."  True, true.  

We had a cold, blustery day today.  It's the first day I didn't take Austin for a walk in over a month.  But warmer weather is coming back.  It will hit the 70's this weekend.  Yes!!

Crazy busy, but fun weekend

What a crazy busy weekend we just had!!  Crazy busy, but fun.  I think we saw more family and friends in one weekend than any time since my dad's funeral.  

But before I start on the weekend, I have a picture I took on Friday when I was walking Austin to show how beautifully green the trees have become.

Friday after Dick was finished working we packed up and headed toward Lancaster County.  Two weeks ago the mountains were just beginning to finally look green, but this time they were really green and the sun was shining on them, and as usual, I was just blown away by their majesty and beauty, which my cell phone pictures do not do justice to.

We picked up Destiny first, and then went on to our Lititz house.  Destiny always falls asleep before we get there.  Her mom has to take her to the YMCA very early every morning on her way to work, so by Friday evening she's ready to crash.  

Saturday morning we went to the annual benefit auction at Manheim Christian, where I used to teach, for their delicious country breakfast.  Oh my!  I could barely make it to the breakfast line as former students saw me and stopped me for hugs along the way.  What a good time, seeing so many of my students, their parents, family members (including my step mother), and my coworkers.  I never once stepped inside the auction tent, but I loved getting to talk with so many people. 

Destiny spent most of the morning at the children's activities.  This was the first year I felt like I didn't have to be out there watching her all the time.  The BIG event for the children was awesome.  A candy scramble with a twist.  I kid you not, they had someone with a small airplane fly over the athletic field many times, dropping candy from the sky. Talk about excitement!!  How will they ever top that??

Sam and Jennifer came up for the weekend and joined us at the auction, which made it even more special.  

That evening Destiny's mom had tickets for the Disney on Ice show in Reading, so her weekend with us was going to be cut short.  But then I got a good idea.  Sam and Jen had given us a very nice gift card for Boscov's for Christmas which I had never had time to use, since there is no Boscov's in State College.  But there is a Boscov's in Reading.  So while Destiny enjoyed the Disney on Ice show, I enjoyed a leisurely evening of shopping.  I LOVE BOSCOV'S!!  Everything I bought was already discounted, I also had a 15% off coupon which could be applied to one item, and a $100 gift card to spend.  What fun!!!

On Sunday morning I led worship at church and caught up with some of my friends there.  Two of my former students (sisters), Leah and Hannah,  played a piano duet for the offertory.  I was so proud of them.

After church we had another 60th birthday celebration for Dick, this time with Sam and Jenn and Destiny and her dad, Frank.  We went to Garfield's for old times' sake.  When we had so many teenagers in our house we used to always take them to Garfield's for their birthday meal, because it was free!  Now it's 50% off.  

After we came back to our house we had Dick's birthday cake with ice cream.  The cake was a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting that I had bought at the benefit auction.  Scrumptious!  The only non-pink candles I had in the house were football candles.  So we put six of them on the cake, one for each decade!!

But the fun was still not over.  After Dick took a nap, we went to visit his parents.  His stepmother had a breast lumpectomy done this past week and will be getting radiation next week.  She's feeling really good, thankfully.

From there we went to see my stepmother.  I knew my sister Mary Ellen would be there too, but I guess more family members thought it would be a nice evening to visit Grandma.  My step brother  Gary and his big family were there too.  After a while another car drove up, and it was my step brother Lester and his wife.  And then another car drove up, and it was my sister Doris and her husband and daughter Ellen.  Grandma has a big stretched-out table and, of course, fed us all, whether we were hungry or not!  Feeding people is one of her many love languages that you just can't resist!

What a good time we Zimwits have together.  Once again I walked back into that sun room and the tears came.  I looked in that corner where my dad's hospital bed had been, and I remembered the way we all cared for him until he left us.  Beautiful, bittersweet memories.  How we miss him!

Dick and I left there about 7:30 to take Destiny home, then went back to our Lititz house to clean up.  We drove in extreme rain and lightning.  This morning we drove back home to State College, again in rain the whole way, but not heavy like last evening.  

I'm sure Austin will be waking from his nap any minute now.  Can't wait to see him again!

Fun weekend coming up

We're getting ready to pack up for our weekend in Lancaster County. It will be a fun weekend because the big annual benefit auction is being held at Manheim Christian where I taught.  I'm just sorry we're missing the barbecued chicken today.  First time ever, probably!  Destiny always loves the children's activities they have Saturday mornings.  Last year they gave the kids pony rides and had a bouncing thing.  I'm sure she'll be hoping for that again.

Here are a few pictures I found in my cell phone that I didn't post earlier this week.  These were taken Monday morning when our Florida kids were leaving for the Baltimore airport. Too bad the sun was shining in Sophie's face as she waved goodbye for Grandma's camera.  What a bundle of fun she is.  I can't wait to spend much more time with her in July.

 

That was my morning-before-makeup-and-hair look!  It also looks like I had dirt on my shirt, but I think those are leaves or something on the design!

Austin still thinks it's fun to take snacks from his his mommy's mouth.  Look at this.

Austin, you're sweet enough.  I don't think you'll be needing any Splenda or confectioner's sugar!

What a fun week I had with him.  Everyday he walks more and further.  It is so cute!!  Especially the way he looks so tremendously pleased with himself.  I had tears when I put him down for his afternoon nap today.  I'm going to miss him till Monday.  I just love him so much.

Dick's birthday weekend

On Saturday morning our Florida kids flew from Tampa to Baltimore, then drove from there to State College.  We kept in touch all day by text messages.  Finally, sometime after 3:00 they arrived.  I could finally see my little Florida sunshine face to face and hear her giggles and chatter in person.

Austin was still taking a nap, but it was impossible to keep the noise down with so much excitement.  Lisa wanted to show us a video she had made for Sophie's school which is being used to promote the school, but everyone was talking so much she couldn't get them to listen.  When they finally paid attention and watched it, some of them acted like they were so touched by it they were crying.  (sigh)  It really was a good and very well-done video.

 At last Austin woke up, much to Sophie's delight, but he was not at all thrilled at having all these new faces on his turf.  Slowly he warmed up.

We went to Damon's for Dick's birthday dinner.  They let us have a room to ourselves, and we had the best waitress.

Our waitress asked if she could take a picture of our family.  Bless her heart, we hadn't even thought of it.

We didn't have a cake for Dick, but never mind.  Sophie had brought one from Florida!

After we got back to the house, Sophie modeled her new pajamas.

Goodnight, Uncle Jeremy.

After the little ones were asleep everyone came down to our living room to hang out.  The travelers were very sleepy, so we didn't stay up very late.

Lisa showed us some of her amazing Yoga stretches.

We had decided ahead of time that due to the very short time they would be here and the very long length of our church services up here, that we would hang out at home instead of going to church Sunday morning.  I made pancakes and sausage for the crew.

While I cooked, Grandpa helped Sophie to make a ring from a kit Lori had given her. 

Later he played on the floor with both kids.  He's a good grandpa.

The mommies got down on the floor too after they returned from their walk. 

Austin practiced his walking, much to his and everyone's delight.

Beautiful cousins.

More Yoga stretches.

Nap time for the men!

In the afternoon we went to an open house and had fun imagining living there.  Then we came  home to eat the Middle Eastern Chickpea and Rice Stew that I had made.  It's a new recipe I found this past winter that has become a favorite.  Then George treated us to ice cream at the Creamery on the Penn State campus.  George and Lisa met as students at Penn State, so there's a lot of nostalgia associated with the campus.  (But mostly bad memories of cold weather, hahahahaha!)

After we came home and the little ones were asleep, we all hung out in our basement living room one more time.  For a while the iPhones took over as everyone was cracking up over some funny websites. 

George disappeared for a while, and then came back with a huge cookie birthday cake for Dick.  It was really delicious. 

I finally got everyone corralled into a game of dictionary, a long-time favorite.  It's our home-made version of Balderdash.  As is always the case, we ended up in stitches a few times, especially when the word that needed to be defined was "limpkin".  I'll just leave that to your imagination.  

The next morning, actually the day of Dick's birthday, he had to be at work by 8:00.  Anthony made some eggs, and George had bought a whole bunch of bagels when he went for the birthday cake the evening before.  I had time to play with Sophie.  We played the piano, colored, and played Memory.  She won by a long shot.  

And then it was 10:00, and time for them to head back to the Baltimore airport.  Austin went down for a nap, Lori went to work, and I was left with a very, too quiet house.  Good family times are anticipated for such a long time, and over in the blink of an eye.  But the good memories are in my mind and my heart.