Kate's Prom!

I'll apologize right now for how very many photos I've put here, but there were so many good ones that I couldn't choose which to leave out! And it is, after all, Kate's Senior Prom!

Isn't she lovely?!

Blue Steel...

Mike arrives for the flower exchange- don't stab him Kate!

...and the corsage, so pretty.

Outside the front door, slowly working their way to the dance...

Such a gentleman, holding Kate's door.

The gang's all here for pre-limo photos! These were taken at Val's house, (blue dress) just down the hill from our home. These are some of the nicest kids and they all shared a table at the prom. Although most of them have grown up together, they welcomed Kate into their circle with warmth and friendship.

The lovely ladies!

Ta-da!

And the fellas- ham it up guys!

And, of course, the Paparazzi!

Kate and her best friend Laura, our German Sweetheart.

Mike and Kate.

The whole gang next to the stretch Expedition- wow!

They stopped on the way at the ice cream stand where Val works to fortify themselves with milkshakes for the evening ahead.

One last stop at the school before proceeding to the dance. Governor Mifflin has been under construction for the entire year, yet it's still the High School most of these kids have attended, as did their parents, for 4 years and is loved in a way only "community" can explain.

All told, the dance was terrific fun and Kate enjoyed herself there and at the school-sponsored "post-prom party". Now we are moving toward graduation in a couple of weeks, oh my!

Scoliosis Update

Monday Jim and I took Bekah for her three month check-up with the Orthopedic Doctor, x-ray in hand. We'd gone last week for a new film of her spine to compare with the first one taken months ago. Her curve has worsened be 2 degrees, now a 23 degree curve. Rebekah did the physical therapy and the exercises, but at this point we need to move to the next level of intervention. So now she will be needing to wear a brace.

According to the Doctor, Scoliosis is one condition which is almost impossible to predict. Whether the curve worsens or holds with the exercises alone is only seen with time. Now, a brace will not straighten the existing curve. The best it can do, and what we are praying for, is that it will arrest any further curvature and help her body to correct for the curve as she continues growing and her bones mature. Since she is asymptomatic- meaning she has no nerve impairment and her internal organs aren't affected by her spine- there is no reason to consider surgery. One can't really see the curve in her spine unless it's looked for. Her shoulders aren't level and her hips don't sit straight, but what teenager stands with perfect posture?

We have about three years of growth on our side waiting for her bones to mature. Every three months she will be checked by the Doctor and we'll evaluate her progress. Once we have the brace and she has gone through the first couple of weeks adjusting to it, Bekah will need to wear it for 23 hours a day. If that sounds long, well, it is. With summer beginning the news is particularly difficult simply because the heat here can get miserable- or so they tell us. She will be able to participate in most normal activities while in her brace, but swimming will need to wait for her one hour out each day.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

*Meow* Mother's Day!

Just a quick bit in between too much to do-

Meet my Mother's day surprise, Milo! He's a great big sweetie who loves to be cuddled and returns the affection with lots of purring.

Not only is he a great reading companion, but he makes a nice wake-up call. This morning, ten minutes before the alarm went off, I felt his insistent paw on my shoulder- it was time for some ear scratching! So he settled onto me and purred me awake. What a considerate guy!

Night of the Arts

Last night was the annual District-wide Art Show. As a Senior portfolio student, Kate not only had a large display of her work, but she herself was on display working on a painting in the art room as people meandered in and out.


Her display in the show included photography and a charcoal self-portrait,...


pottery and paintings,...


Including her series on playground memories, (see the shoes?).


Erin and Isaac also had work displayed. Erin's class made clay masks.


Isaac designed a "Recreational Vehicle".


Once we soaked in the artsiness, we had to get over to Isaac's school where he was participating in the class play, "Rats!" Based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the show was adorable.

The rats stage their coup-


Isaac delivered his lines flawlessly- his part required being interrupted and starting again, something for which he's been training his whole life!
(The picture is kinda dark, but he's in the middle, wearing the vest.)

As the school year draws to a close there will be much busy-ness, but last night gave us a glimpse of what fun the kids are having when they're not cramming their brains full of knowledge! So cute, so fun, and making friends in the process as well!

Spring Really Has Arrived!

Okay, this time I'm sure, Spring is here! If we have a blizzard this weekend nobody will call me overly optimistic for deciding that it's indeed safe to pack away the turtlenecks. The time for switching out our winter wardrobe has arrived and the kids are wearing shorts to school. No more sweaters or socks, short sleeves and flip-flops are the order of the day. Isaac has finished his soccer season, but the coach has offered to keep the boys practicing in order to improve their play and hopefully love of the game.



More exciting than changes in wardrobe however is the transformation occurring outdoors! Hostas and flowers are already bursting from the ground in full glory. Azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom throughout the yard and we even found a lilac bush displaying her fragrant wares yesterday. The woods are no longer carpeted with only last year's leaves, the bluebells and ferns are taking over. Everywhere the delicate, multi-hued blossoms of Columbine are dancing in the breeze. Not only are the birds back in full force, but they're hungry enough to empty a full feeder on a daily basis! Their songs throughout the day more than compensate for the feed we're pouring into them.



Due to the return of growing grass we have finally purchased a lawn tractor- a gorgeous Huskvarna that will not only keep the lawn mown, but also assist in hauling chores. When the time comes to start pulling out the evergreen ground cover that is swallowing the flower beds our Husky will be equal to the challenge. The yuccas will also take some effort to remove, but it will be worth every bit.



Now that we are beginning to see what is planted in the yard, we are making some decisions about what to remove. While the evergreen stuff growing low to the ground may have been a low-maintenance choice to plant, we'd rather replace it with something softer to the touch and the eye. Had our yard been a blank slate I wouldn't have known where to begin. But with so many beds defined and planted it's easier to see what to keep and what to change.I've planted some pansies in the beds near the front door, thrilled to contribute my own bit to the landscaping.



Speaking of change, We are about to have another huge shift in our family. Kate will be graduating in a few short weeks! It's so hard to believe that the time is almost upon us. We have calendars after all- how did it sneak up like this? Plans for the graduation are swinging into play now with my Dad returning for the festivities and a gathering to celebrate. Prom will be in two weeks, so that is also in the works and causing no little bit of excitement.

Oh, the excitement!

And He's Off Again...

We've had a marvelous two weeks with Nathaniel. Catching up, looking at his pictures from Iraq, introducing him to our new home and friends. It's been mostly busy, with some relief now and then. Jim, Kate and Bekah are driving him to the Philadelphia airport as I type.

While here Nathaniel was able to experience a range of weather, mostly cold and dreary, some snow, ending with lovely warm Springtime temperatures. Right now the window next to me is open and I'm listening to the early morning birds and Isaac shooting hoops in the driveway as he waits for his bus. Not only did we have family and friend time, but Nathaniel was asked by several of the kids' teachers to come speak to their classes at school and Sunday School. He took his laptop and was able to show a slideshow of photos, some Google Earth images of where in the world he is over there, and answered lots of questions. We cooked some of his favorite foods besides doing a comprehensive survey of the local restaurants and I believe we all put on a few pounds each. There must be some Italian genes in our family somewhere, because we do a lot of eating when we're "sharing the love"!

All in all, it was a good visit. While this area isn't "home" to our eldest, he was home with us and the time spent together was precious. Now we pray for his continued safety in traveling back to the theater of operations, Philly to Atlanta, to Germany, to Kuwait, to Iraq. His job there is as safe as being in Iraq could be, but prayers for his safety and wisdom for his daily choices as well as his career decisions are most welcome. He's been fixing his helicopters, he's daily more ready to begin the process which will lead to flying them.

'Nuff said for now, on to the slideshow! (To read the captions, pass your mouse over the individual photos.)

Nathaniel's Home!

He's Here! Nathaniel arrived Easter Sunday, having flown from Iraq to Kuwait to Germany to Atlanta and finally to Philly! Without a cell phone he used a pay phone in Atlanta to inform us of his arrival time, then borrowed a cell phone to call us once his plane landed in Philly. We were, fortunately already waiting at the airport- as close to the gate as we could get- so we got him straight away. My parents were able to also be part of the welcoming committee as we all hugged, cried and photographed the event.

We had a fabulous and busy few days with the whole family together before my Dad left, then two more days with Mom. Showing Nathaniel the sights and introducing him to our new home has been interesting to say the least. And now we may even be able to take him sledding and have roaring fires in the fireplace since there is a severe winter storm bearing down on us... oh yeah.

There's too much to say this morning, so now for the photos and I'll flesh out what we've been doing in my next post!

Cheerio!

Big catch up!

Wow, it's been too long since I've made the time to blog! Life has been coming at us fast now and since it won't be slowing down soon I'd better catch things up. The Reader's Digest version will have to do...

First of all, Spring was merely teasing us it seems, we ended up with a blizzard on the day that Kate and I had planned to drive across the state to see friends in Grove City! My forecast showed that the snow wouldn't be bad, and it would start late in the day. So Kate and I headed out in the morning to get North of the storm onto Interstate 80. We ended up driving into the teeth of the storm for almost 8 hours- never faster than 40 milers per hour- a trip that ought to have been 4 hours. It was worth it though, our visit with the Welkers was a blessing. Kate and Gabby picked up with their friendship right where they left off 8 years ago. It was fun to be with Lisa and Randy and their kids with the kids actually participating in our conversations instead of off playing in the next room the way our visits were so long ago. We delivered Gabby's airline tickets for her portion of our European vacation and laid down rule number 1: while in Europe, NO McFood! Our time flew and even though we added a day our departure came all too soon.

Since then we have started soccer practices for Isaac, continued archery, Kate went on a Senior class trip to Washington DC, Isaac won "Best Original Design" for his Pinewood Derby car which he, not Jim, designed, we repainted the family room, and waited as the weather slowly warmed.

We also welcomed Laura's family from Germany into our home for an authentic American meal while they are here on vacation. Jim and I dusted off our German for the evening and were surprised at how conversant we could yet be! The evening was so nice and the Groegers agreed to take our Kate in for her ten-day break from L'Abri in October. She'll need to leave Switzerland for her break, thus eliminating the need to apply for a visa.

For a few days last week we were actually opening the windows and wearing flip-flops. Last weekend we were all out in the yard cleaning the winter dreck out of the flower beds and finding many new spring plants working their way up into the sunshine. Now that Easter weekend is here and Papaw, (Barbaranne's father) arrived yesterday, it's cold again. Snow flurries even. I had forgotten how the Spring will tease us with warmth then cold before finally settling on warm weather up here. We are awaiting Grandmommy's arrival and a phone call from Nathaniel to let us know when to pick him up in Philadelphia. He should be leaving Iraq today for Kuwait, from where he will fly home for a two-week break. We're all on pins and needles...

Now for a slide show of what we've been up to. To see the captions just pass your mouse over the photo as it slides by. Enjoy!

Could it Be?...

It appears, and perhaps this is a hasty conclusion, but it really seems as if Spring is springing! The temperatures are suddenly warmer, snow is melting and birds sing. My window is actually open to catch the pleasant breeze and chittering of the birds. We will soon learn what is planted in the gardens all across our two acres; already some little yellow flowers are blooming near the front door- buttercups perhaps? Next sunny day I'll have to get out with a rake and pruning shears to do some clean-up in the yard.

Kate is at outdoor Lacrosse practice and it will soon be time for Isaac's Spring Soccer practices to begin. oy... Archery practice will move outdoors in the fields and woods around the club. They'll use the bullseye-type targets as well as 3D animals, that'll be interesting.

I know better than to stow away the winter coats, it is still March after all, and the weekend forecast threatens a chance of snow, (in which I'll be driving across the state, thank you very much). March is traditionally muddy, not yet springtime pretty. But the birdsong and occasional temperate breeze are encouraging. Too much cold gloomy weather makes me want to curl up and hibernate. It's about time to consider waking up and spending time outdoors!

Planning for Visits, Trips and Paint

As the cold winter wind howls past my window, I've been curling up with a few good books. Travel Guides specifically, for Europe, London, Paris and Switzerland. With Kate going to L'Abri and planning to take the train during her 10 day break in October to see Laura in Germany, my delivery of her will be an educational trip. I'm brushing up on my own skills in order to teach her to buy train tickets, metro passes and navigate like a "local" instead of a tourist while in Europe. Over a year ago we started planning to go to London together as a post-graduation treat. Now it's gone from a mere trip to delivering her to L'Abri, which will involve not only speaking English in London, but now also getting around in French, (2 or 3 days in Paris) and some German, (parts of Switzerland and her break) as well. The nature and timing of our journey- and our own personal leanings- have us booking an independent vacation as opposed to an organized tour package. We want to be flexible and on our own. The Louvre may end up requiring twice the time a tour guide would give us and we may just want to spend an entire hour or more chillin' at a cafe table and watching the people go by.

Thus far I've managed to book every hotel we will need except for the final night in Geneva. I'm waiting for the responses to my email queries now. Our flights are ticketed so that's a huge weight off my mind. We'll be spending a few days in London before being joined by one of Kate's young childhood friends, Gabby, from Grove City. Gabby will have two days with us in London, and travel with us the rest of the way, returning with me after we leave Kate at L'Abri. Once all the rooms are locked in I can relax a bit and focus on current life. This weekend Kate and I are driving to Grove City to spend some time with Gabby's family and plan, plan, plan!

life now is rather full and will take a bit of focusing on. The kitty is convalescing from her spaying last week. Ten days in a confined room as she heals. The first stage of recovery is behind us and she's doing well. Now if she'll just learn that we want only the best for her and trust us again... Only time can fix that.

My parents each have their travel plans in place to come up here for Easter and to see Nathaniel. He'll be coming home in early April for a couple of weeks. It's hard to believe that April is almost here! In our excitement we have decided to go ahead and finish painting the family room, including painting the trim white. This will keep us occupied, (we needed this?) as well as providing a deadline by which to finish. We won't have time to replace the carpet- I believe, but the labor intensive portion, (for us) will be done.

And for recreation we are now members of the Reading Archery Club. Jim has been taking the kids to shoot with the club equipment, working with a coach there, to determine if they would like to pursue archery and if so, what sort of equipment they would need. As it turns out, they all, (Bekah, Erin and Isaac) enjoy archery tremendously and seem to have a knack for it. Jim arranged to meet the coach, Rich, at an archery store to purchase bows and accessories for the kids a couple of weeks ago. The bow they chose for Bekah is an impressive rig, competition ready. Hiawatha never saw such a weapon! They'll be going at least once a week to practice. While signing them up, Jim found out that Rich, who's been helping them along, is a Nationally recognized coach under the Olympic Archery program, and several Olympic Archers have come out of this very club. Pretty cool.

And speaking of Bekah, her back is coming along fine. We'll go see the Orthopedic doctor today, but the Physical Therapist evaluated her progress after a month of seeing him and declared that her therapy is working. While her spine isn't straight- not what we expected- it is improving with the exercises that she's been doing on a daily basis. We'll see what the other Doctor says, but she may not have to wear a brace if the progress continues. We just need to remember to do the exercises!

That's all for now- on to laundry!

Quiet Monday

Well, it's been quite a week. After my last post regarding the newer snow I took the kids and some friends into Shillington to go sledding at the park. When we were first up here and not yet in the house, I used to hang out at the local library and the ladies who work there were all very friendly and informative about living in this area. That's where I learned that Shillington park has one of the best sledding hills for miles around- and were they ever right! There's a huge, I really mean huge, hill in the back of the park with a single lane road barely cleared of snow by which it can be accessed. We all piled out of the van with the sleds, and while most of us gaped at the enormity of the distance to the bottom, Isaac hopped right onto his sled and hit the hill! Watching his red coat fly down I didn't know whether to laugh, panic or call 911! When he made it to the bottom and grabbed the sled to trudge back up for another run we all breathed a sigh of relief.

The kids sledded until they couldn't feel their behinds, and I took a turn even- so fun- and we returned home to collapse in sheer exhilarated exhaustion. Sadly, there are no photos from the park since we forgot the camera. We would have taken it with us for a re-do this last Saturday, but the thawing and re-freezing all week turned all the snow surfaces to ice and it would have been sheer suicide to attempt that hill again. We may get another chance yet as it snowed again yesterday and the forecast doesn't appear to have a big thaw in the near future.


Meanwhile, Erin had her 12th birthday party at a local bead shop where she and her friends made matching bracelets before enjoying pizza and cake. The shop is in Knauers and her bus passes it every day going to and from Isaac's school. She has looked forward to having her party there for as long as we have lived here.

Monday nights for the past few weeks have found Jim taking Bekah, Erin and Isaac to the local Archery Club for archery lessons. The club has an indoor range and all the paraphernalia that they need to use as they learn the sport. Evidently Erin has quite the gift for archery. That's right, the one child who will never take aim at any furry beast. Fortunately,there are plenty of non-living targets for her to practice with. Monday nights is turning into a special time for Dad and the kids; I'm glad Jim has been able to find the time to get them there each week.

I said it was a busy week, but actually the week had a rather slow start for me. I was knocked out with a cold for the first half of the week, so not much was done for several days. Ever since my car accident in 2002 my upper back is my "early warning system" for illness. I get sore right between my shoulder blades and it stays sore until the last sniffle passes. Aches and pains have taken on a whole new meaning for me in that regard. At least I had a new novel to keep me occupied. Now I've finally read Jane Eyre, good book.

This weekend we took a pass on having anyone over, just to have a quiet Sunday to ourselves, and don't you know a severe weather advisory pops up on Saturday to warn us that a winter storm is blowing in Sunday afternoon. Anybody we invited would have had to cancel or end up stuck here. So Jim and the kids played outdoors as it snowed and gathered firewood into the house while Bekah and I slowly prepared a late lunch of southern fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Okay, not on the healthy heart menu, but oh, so tasty. I haven't fried chicken in years. I'm talking the real thing here, total immersion frying- yum!

As penance, or maybe just for the health of it, I shoveled the driveway this morning. If I can't get out on the roads to get to the gym I need to do something cardio-wise, and boy, the driveway sure fit the bill! Last week we didn't get one end of the drive cleared before the softening and re-freezing cycle got going and we have a glacier covering that part of the driveway now that none of us can move. Not wanting that to happen to the entire thing this week was also part of my motivation to take up the shovel I suppose.

I'm sure there's more to tell, I simply can't think of anything else. Enough rambling from me. BA out-

Snow Day Two!

Wow, a second snow day! Because tomorrow and next Monday were already going to be days off from school, that means we are having a 6-day weekend!

Yesterday Erin and Isaac spent more time outdoors than indoors- quite a feat considering that it was either sleeting or snowing until around 4-ish. Sometime around 3 Jim discovered a need that only Lowes could meet and, considering that the snow plows had been back and forth until we could see pavement, Jim suited up and raised the garage door. Alas, the driveway was covered by a foot of snow! So he took up arms, (in this case- the snow shovel) and spent the next three hours getting half of our circular drive cleared. Kate helped with a garden shovel, which is a frustratingly slow way to clear a driveway. Remembering that ours is the only driveway on our street that is level with the road, instead of an uphill pull to it, helps some, I suppose. The trip to Lowes was eventually accomplished and we now have another snow shovel besides the other stuff Jim needed.

The girls went with Jim to help him navigate the grocery store where they picked up the ingredients for two more soups to keep our insides warm over the next few days. Bekah will be making a Potato Soup from her Italian cookbook and I'll put together a White Chicken Chili that is absolutely Scrumdiddlyumptious! I'll post the Chili recipe here since I know you'll love it too!

Simply Marvelous White Chicken Chili

From Annie Sallade

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 ½ tsp. Butter

1 C diced Onion

2 C diced Celery

2 C chopped Red, Yellow and/or Green Pepper (your choice)

2 cloves minced Garlic

1 tsp minced jalapeno

1 7oz bottle of Beer

1 can diced Tomatoes

1 can Kidney or Pinto Beans

1 can Chicken Broth

½ lb. Chicken, cooked and diced, (4 – 5 breasts)

1 ½ tsp Chili Powder

3 tsp. Sugar

2 tsp. Sea Salt

1 ½ tsp. Pepper

1 ½ tsp. Onion Powder

1 dash Tabasco

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

¼ tsp. Celery Salt

½ tsp. Cayenne Powder

¾ C. Milk

6 Tbsp Half-n-Half combined with 3 Tbsp Cornstarch

In a large stock pot, gently sauté the onion, celery, pepper, garlic, and jalapeno in the oil and butter for about 15 minutes. Add beer, tomatoes, beans and chicken. Then add seasonings, sugar, broth, and Tabasco. Bring to a boil and add milk and cornstarch mixture, stirring to combine well. Lower heat to a low simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often. Adjust the amounts to your taste, add more broth if it gets too thick, and be sure to serve with a loaf of wonderful bread! Yum, yum, yum!

Finally, I'll add that I will be heading out on the roads myself today in order to get snow pants for Kate and Bekah, who are joining the school's ski club for a "field trip" tomorrow. Gotta keep our girlies warm and dry! I also need to call about rescheduling Emmi's "fix". She's figured out that we're not hiding any Toms in the house and is getting curious about who might be outside...

Valentines in the Snow

Finally getting back to blog all about what's going on with us! The big news is, we are having our first official Snow Day! Even Jim is snowed in with us as the roads are immpassible. We've had to change routines for the weather, which hasn't happened for us since hurricane Wilma in Florida. Jim's working on his laptop across the table from me as I type in the media/ dining room while Bekah, Erin and Isaac are playing in the snow/ sleet outside. I'm genuinely surprised at how very adaptable these kids are, considering they spent the last 7 years in the sunshine state, where 50's were freezing temps. Now they can't wait to get out into this nasty cold stuff! Brrr!

To catch up on a number of fronts; Bekah is now in physical therapy for her scoliosis, we go three times a week for her to work with the therapists and she exercises every day at home to strengthen her core which will hopefully help to arrest the development of her curve.

Emmi is warming up to us again after the trauma of medictaion at our hands. She was supposed to go in this morning to be spayed, but we can't get out of the driveway, much less driving uphill and downhill, so she'll remain a hostage to her hormones for a while longer- poor thing. She wanders the house yowling for a boyfriend...

Kate went on an Art class field trip to NYC a couple of Fridays ago and had herself a blast! She was astounded to see real life Van Gogh paintings, among others, in the Metropolitain Museum of Art and enjoyed Times Square at lunchtime with her friends. It was quite cold, so her souvineer was a warm and fuzzy hat bought from a vendor.


The day she was in NYC was the first time we had our Couples Bible Study here for dinner and study. We have really been blessed by this group of dear Christian couples and feel quite at home with our new church. This Sunday, (the 18th) we will be accepted as members of Covenant OPC.

Kate and Rebekah, with Laura along as well, joined the youth group for tubing at a nearby ski resort last Saturday. The adult in charge is a physical therapist associated with the PT we are taking Bekah to, and he declared that Bekah just may have straightened out her spine on some of the runs down the hill! (kidding of course)


Vali is enjoying the snow as well as the kids. Kate and I took her out for an explore yesterday before it got too severe, (the kids were sent home from school early since the weather was deteriorating so rapidly) and Vali learned the joy of chasing pine cones in the snow. She'd find one, toss it about, then run to find it a gain. So fun. There's finally a snow pigmy in the yard- the kids used my scarf of course- and it's nearly buried with the new snowfall.

She can have my scarf, I've taken up knitting. I can only knit scarves, one direction, no changes, just figuring out how to finish at the end. Erin and Bekah are also knitting scarves, which is fun because they have each chosen such unique yarns with which to work.

The sleet has changed back to snow now, and we've just watched the snow plow make 4 runs down our street. Erin is out sledding with the neighborhood girls, Bekah and Isaac are thawing out in front of the tv and Emmi is running up and down the stairs, meowing her frantic little heart out. Enjoy the pictures, and those of you in Florida, enjoy your relative warmth. This time last year I was watching the national weather and chuckling to myself- so go ahead!