a family with elementary-aged daughters, there is a lot to consider. Yes, they will have wonderful times trying their hand at elephant rides and meeting people from all cultures and languages. But we will miss them sorely (they were my 9yo's SS teachers last year and their daughters and my youngest daughter have truly enjoyed Awanas together). Think of how much they will miss family and close friends. Conveniences like A/C, automobiles, telephones, etc. Necessities like clean water. It will be a hard adjustment but they are going gladly and cheerfully, eagerly and humbly to serve their King. What a joy to have friends like these!! If you can, pray for the Byrd family for the next few months as they move and adjust to all of their new surroundings.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Missionary Monday
I haven't been too good at doing a Missionary Monday focus in a while so I want to try to get back to it. Yesterday a family in our church was brought forward for the church to say an official "Good-Bye" to them. After a few weeks in Richmond at a training site, they will leave for the Pacific area where they will be based but will be traveling around Asia quite frequently. Sounds exotic, right? But when you are 
a family with elementary-aged daughters, there is a lot to consider. Yes, they will have wonderful times trying their hand at elephant rides and meeting people from all cultures and languages. But we will miss them sorely (they were my 9yo's SS teachers last year and their daughters and my youngest daughter have truly enjoyed Awanas together). Think of how much they will miss family and close friends. Conveniences like A/C, automobiles, telephones, etc. Necessities like clean water. It will be a hard adjustment but they are going gladly and cheerfully, eagerly and humbly to serve their King. What a joy to have friends like these!! If you can, pray for the Byrd family for the next few months as they move and adjust to all of their new surroundings.
a family with elementary-aged daughters, there is a lot to consider. Yes, they will have wonderful times trying their hand at elephant rides and meeting people from all cultures and languages. But we will miss them sorely (they were my 9yo's SS teachers last year and their daughters and my youngest daughter have truly enjoyed Awanas together). Think of how much they will miss family and close friends. Conveniences like A/C, automobiles, telephones, etc. Necessities like clean water. It will be a hard adjustment but they are going gladly and cheerfully, eagerly and humbly to serve their King. What a joy to have friends like these!! If you can, pray for the Byrd family for the next few months as they move and adjust to all of their new surroundings.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
"The St. Andrews Seven"
Somewhere? in all my browsing of Book catalogs (my favorite hobby!) I ran across a reference to the "St. Andrews Seven" who had a major impact not only on their native Scotland but upon many nations and the Missionary movement of the 1800s. Since my oldest 3 children were enrolled in a school by that famous name and we also attended a church for a short time overseas with the name, it caught my attention. I got the book on inter-library loan and am completely amazed at how much I have gleaned from this "accidental" treasure! 
Firstly, the main character of the book (and professor to the six students) was a man by the name of Thomas Chalmers (good name, huh, my Chalmers friends?!) and I am itching to find a good biography about him to read as soon as I finish the "Seven" book. He firmly believed that morals produce economic good, not the other way around (I think our current modern society has proven him correct!). He also believed that no one should ever be pushed or forced into religion but that if we truly believed in Christ's atonement, we would live in such a way as to draw others to Christ. Here is one of the quotes from the book that I have copied down already (I am only part way through the book and have copied 5 quotes!): "Our response to Christ's commands should be determined by what we can do in His strength, not by what we might fail to do in ours. "(Ouch!! I needed that!!)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Busch gardens!
Satu
rday, Matt took E&E and I to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. J had to work and couldn't join us and Dad and R both don't really care for the rides and had other plans anyway. It was a perfect day, with temps in the mid-80s, plenty warm to ride the Pompeii and Roman Rapids water rides as well as the many other rides, where we dried off a bit. We started out slowly with 
the teacups to get the 6yo used to things and very shortly advanced to bigger and faster things!
He liked everything he rode but the "Big Bad Wolf" roller coaster of which he mildly said "I don't think I want to ride that one again. It made my tummy feel funny." I was surprised at how many larger rides he did like. EK loved everything she rode, including her favorite, th
e Loch Ness Monster with two loops and a tunnel! She rode it a couple of times with Matt and once with me, too. I think my children have inherited my love of thrill rides! A wonderful day ended by the younger children asleep in the back seat before we left the parking lot!
rday, Matt took E&E and I to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. J had to work and couldn't join us and Dad and R both don't really care for the rides and had other plans anyway. It was a perfect day, with temps in the mid-80s, plenty warm to ride the Pompeii and Roman Rapids water rides as well as the many other rides, where we dried off a bit. We started out slowly with 
the teacups to get the 6yo used to things and very shortly advanced to bigger and faster things!He liked everything he rode but the "Big Bad Wolf" roller coaster of which he mildly said "I don't think I want to ride that one again. It made my tummy feel funny." I was surprised at how many larger rides he did like. EK loved everything she rode, including her favorite, th
e Loch Ness Monster with two loops and a tunnel! She rode it a couple of times with Matt and once with me, too. I think my children have inherited my love of thrill rides! A wonderful day ended by the younger children asleep in the back seat before we left the parking lot!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The blessings of babies!
Here's the news (no, none directly from us!): my friend Megan called today with the wonderful news that this baby (#4) is a GIRL!! Her only daughter is thrilled, of course. Matt & Lindsey (they are almost as precious as my own children) gave us the wonderful news that they are expecting!! And my friend Karen who just had baby #8 let me cuddle and rock and feed and hold her baby for a long time Tuesday night after having a delightful day with most of her children on Monday. The VBS Director emailed me to ask would it be OK if he put me in the baby nursery again this year (would it be OK?! Oh yeah!). This is one happy lady sitting here typing!!!To Babies - God's most wonderful gift to any of us!!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Fun with children
Last night I attended my first ever "car-cert". 
My 6yo decided he wanted to put on a "show" for all of us with his remote control cars/trucks he got for Christmas and birthday so he invited us to come see it. "It's like a concert with drums, Mom, but with cars so it's a 'car-cert' ". Too good!! (Notice which musical instrument he used to describe a concert?!)
Today we were cleaning rocks, limbs and bits of trash from about 3 acres of the field and the same child came screaming to me that he was being "attacked." He had just stepped in a fire ant hill about 30 minutes earlier and barely made a sound - "I think something's stinging me Mom" (he calmly says with about 20+ red ants biting away) so I wondered what in the world had "attacked"
him. He took me back to the spot and said, "See, right there, a crazy bird" and sure enough a killdeer (who blended in perfectly with the ground around her) came squawking and strutting her feathers and threatening to peck me - even using her "broken wing" trick a couple of times. I knew immediately we were near her nest and sure enough it didn't take us but a few minutes to spot 4 beautiful gray-speckled eggs less than a foot away from her. My children were intrigued by the camouflage of both the mother and her eggs as well as her willingness to "attack" humans multiple times her size in order to protect her eggs. We marked the area with a stake and caution tape so that when hubby plows tomorrow he can leave her undisturbed (and so we can keep track of the progress of the eggs which cannot even be seen a few feet away). Hopefully in about 4 weeks (or less if the eggs have been there a while) we will be lucky enough to catch sight of those fast-running babies!
On the front porch we have seen the purple
martins return to their nest they made last year and would love to know if the couple "courting" there is the same one as last year or one of the offspring. We love watching their flying, hearing their "songs" (OK, more like screeches), watching them lay and care for the eggs and then babies but by the end of the summer I am really tired of having to constantly wash off the bird droppings all over the porch. But such is a mother's life... :) - just enjoy tending to the eggs and little ones (and washing the porch off) because before you want to think about they have flown the nest.....
Anyway, enjoy the spring! (Tomorrow, Lord and weather willing, we will begin planting the vegetable garden including transplanting most of my seed beds - then I will really know spring is here!).
My 6yo decided he wanted to put on a "show" for all of us with his remote control cars/trucks he got for Christmas and birthday so he invited us to come see it. "It's like a concert with drums, Mom, but with cars so it's a 'car-cert' ". Too good!! (Notice which musical instrument he used to describe a concert?!)Today we were cleaning rocks, limbs and bits of trash from about 3 acres of the field and the same child came screaming to me that he was being "attacked." He had just stepped in a fire ant hill about 30 minutes earlier and barely made a sound - "I think something's stinging me Mom" (he calmly says with about 20+ red ants biting away) so I wondered what in the world had "attacked"
him. He took me back to the spot and said, "See, right there, a crazy bird" and sure enough a killdeer (who blended in perfectly with the ground around her) came squawking and strutting her feathers and threatening to peck me - even using her "broken wing" trick a couple of times. I knew immediately we were near her nest and sure enough it didn't take us but a few minutes to spot 4 beautiful gray-speckled eggs less than a foot away from her. My children were intrigued by the camouflage of both the mother and her eggs as well as her willingness to "attack" humans multiple times her size in order to protect her eggs. We marked the area with a stake and caution tape so that when hubby plows tomorrow he can leave her undisturbed (and so we can keep track of the progress of the eggs which cannot even be seen a few feet away). Hopefully in about 4 weeks (or less if the eggs have been there a while) we will be lucky enough to catch sight of those fast-running babies!On the front porch we have seen the purple
martins return to their nest they made last year and would love to know if the couple "courting" there is the same one as last year or one of the offspring. We love watching their flying, hearing their "songs" (OK, more like screeches), watching them lay and care for the eggs and then babies but by the end of the summer I am really tired of having to constantly wash off the bird droppings all over the porch. But such is a mother's life... :) - just enjoy tending to the eggs and little ones (and washing the porch off) because before you want to think about they have flown the nest.....Anyway, enjoy the spring! (Tomorrow, Lord and weather willing, we will begin planting the vegetable garden including transplanting most of my seed beds - then I will really know spring is here!).
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Quick Update
Well, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. In the past week +, we battled yet another round of flu, had my MIL taken to the ER twice and lots of "little" things along with just life in general. Praise! My MIL is somewhat better even though her BP is still very high and they have changed her meds three times now, but her EKGs and other tests don't show anything to be alarmed about so they are just assuming for now that the "stroke level BP" she had (280/189 at one point and 260/170 at the other) was due to changing her meds two weeks ago. The doctors don't seem to know exactly why her BP is still so high but for now she is being careful to monitor what she eats and try to get a little more exercise.
A friend had a new baby and unfortunately we haven't been in good enough health to help out until last Thursday and then we have been too busy. Friday another friend and I finally got to spend the whole day together after rescheduling 3 times due to sickness in one family or the other (she does the same curriculum we do and we like to get together once in a while to encourage each other and let the children share time together). Yesterday and today was our annual testing required by our state so we got up at 6am and tested from 7:45 until 2:45 yesterday and then tested again 8am till noon today. Thankfully that is done and also thankfully my MIL was well enough to watch my 6yo (he doesn't do this type of test until next spring) since the Mom who was supposed to keep my 6yo while I proctored tests had the flu (along with several of her children). Tomorrow we have a couple of appointments and somewhere between this afternoon before Awanas tonight I have to do some ironing since my hubby needs clothes to wear to work (I did laundry all day Monday)!
Friday we have a "Spring Field Day" where the children will compete in several races and sports including the 100-yard dash, 3-legged race (their favorite), frisbee throw, etc. Our family is marching on to the field with the flag from Vietnam so tomorrow we are painting yellow stars on our red t-shirts (like the Vietnamese flag) and I am trying to download the Vietnamese national anthem onto CD to use for the awards ceremony. Should be lots of fun - I'll try to remember my camera since lately I have forgotten to take it along to everything we've done!
I've not shopped in quite a while but that's OK since we stocked the freezer and pantry during tripes at Harris Teeter a few weeks ago. I even had bread in the freezer to use for our lunches we had to carry! It really has been wonderful to be so well stocked.
The oldest children are really getting cranked up with papers and tests and getting down to the wire for the end of the semester. I would love to see more of them but am glad that they all are doing well in school and seem to be making wise choices during these college years. A wonderful thing to be thankful for these days !
That's mostly it for us for now - I'll try to be more creative once I catch my breath. Hope each of you are healthy and enjoying a beautiful day in the Lord -
-F
A friend had a new baby and unfortunately we haven't been in good enough health to help out until last Thursday and then we have been too busy. Friday another friend and I finally got to spend the whole day together after rescheduling 3 times due to sickness in one family or the other (she does the same curriculum we do and we like to get together once in a while to encourage each other and let the children share time together). Yesterday and today was our annual testing required by our state so we got up at 6am and tested from 7:45 until 2:45 yesterday and then tested again 8am till noon today. Thankfully that is done and also thankfully my MIL was well enough to watch my 6yo (he doesn't do this type of test until next spring) since the Mom who was supposed to keep my 6yo while I proctored tests had the flu (along with several of her children). Tomorrow we have a couple of appointments and somewhere between this afternoon before Awanas tonight I have to do some ironing since my hubby needs clothes to wear to work (I did laundry all day Monday)!
Friday we have a "Spring Field Day" where the children will compete in several races and sports including the 100-yard dash, 3-legged race (their favorite), frisbee throw, etc. Our family is marching on to the field with the flag from Vietnam so tomorrow we are painting yellow stars on our red t-shirts (like the Vietnamese flag) and I am trying to download the Vietnamese national anthem onto CD to use for the awards ceremony. Should be lots of fun - I'll try to remember my camera since lately I have forgotten to take it along to everything we've done!
I've not shopped in quite a while but that's OK since we stocked the freezer and pantry during tripes at Harris Teeter a few weeks ago. I even had bread in the freezer to use for our lunches we had to carry! It really has been wonderful to be so well stocked.
The oldest children are really getting cranked up with papers and tests and getting down to the wire for the end of the semester. I would love to see more of them but am glad that they all are doing well in school and seem to be making wise choices during these college years. A wonderful thing to be thankful for these days !
That's mostly it for us for now - I'll try to be more creative once I catch my breath. Hope each of you are healthy and enjoying a beautiful day in the Lord -
-F
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