Dora

When we were in Indiana to visit Jess and Jordan last time, they sent another kitten home with us. The boys named this little black and white kitty Dora.
She was so tiny when we got her, but it didn't take long for her to start drinking from a dish.
The children fell in love with her and she spent as much time inside as out.

 

At first both Clara and Teddy were VERY suspicious of her. She won her way right into their hearts it seems, and they now let her snuggle with them any time.

 

Clara and Dora

Teddy and Dora

 

 

Dora the explorer

 

 

Chattanooga

 The children and I had a lovely little trip to Chattanooga together this fall.
 It may seem like a "when the cat's away the mice will play" type of thing, but it really isn't. It's just that when Martin is gone on some trip or other, we miss him so much that we need to console ourselves with a little adventure :).
 So this time we left right after Damaris came home from work and drove to our motel. We ate a leisurely supper together and the boys swam in the pool for a while.
 The next morning we got up bright and early and took the little train up the steepest railway in America to a city overlook.

 

After that we went to the aquarium and Imax theatre. Other than the usual fishy pictures, here are a couple more unusual ones.

 

Betsy petting a sting ray

Kat - delighted with a butterfly on her arm

We can't go to Chattanooga without strolling over what we call "the walking bridge" to the fountain and carousel on the other side.

no vehicles allowed...

Looking at this last picture with only 5 children posing, is a sober reminder to me that our "in house family numbers" are on the decline. Despite all the fancy rhetoric that tries to say, "you don't lose a daughter, you gain a son", ect. the practical truth is that our family is getting smaller.

The lesson that I learn from that is very clear:

We have such an incredibly short time with our children. I want to seize the moments and make lots of memories.

 

 

 

 

The volleyball court

Several years ago Jake kindly allowed the church to construct a volleyball court on his property right beside the church. The young people faced frustrations with the fact that they weren't always able to use it if there had been a lot of rain. Also it was only big enough for 1 net, which was frustrating at times with the population explosion of youth around here. Anyway the young guys got permission and started to cut down trees and run drainage pipes. They took trips with trailers and brought in river rock and generally worked hard. It took participation from more mature men, though, to finally get the job done. Hats off to young and old who participated and made it happen!

those who watched the cement truck as hard as they could...

 

 

..those who got their boots dirty and backs sore...

 

...Those who watched diligently...

 

and brought food for the hard working guys...

 

and baked for fundraisers which brought in about $1,500.00..

We all worked together, and that is half the fun right there  :)

 

Truth

Last night the girls and I continued our study in "Lies Young Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free". It is outstanding to me that with all the medication and antidepressants used to control and change negative behavior, there is nothing more effective to change than truth. Truth cannot change you though, unless you cooperate with it. Jesus said, "I am the way, the TRUTH and the life." I left the study with a heart cry to the Lord to give me wisdom in seeking the truth in every situation. Satan cloaks situations with ambiguity and deception, but Jesus shines the light on the right way. I also long to help my children learn discernment as they face a very muddled world.
 Then the second thing that I noticed in relation to Truth was in Exodus this morning as we were having family devotions. Pharaoh had told the midwives to kill all the male Israelite children that were born. These midwives were not exactly truthful to Pharaoh when they told him they couldn't get to the birth fast enough, but God honored them highly for standing for His truth.
So obviously it's important to get our values from the right Source, and also important to stand strong once we're on the right foundation. I have a feeling that the next 10 or 15 years is going to separate the men from the boys. May we choose right, and stand, no matter what the consequences are. Our destiny in eternity will depend on it, and God help us to lead the "little lambs" straight to Jesus for answers. Their destiny also depends on it.

Jessica and Jordan's wedding

Whenever Elizabeth plays "A Thousand Years" on the piano, I feel an emotion. I've tried to analyze it, and I think Kathryn's right, when she says it's nostalgia. It's kind of a mixture of sad and glad, tears and joy all in one. There are other things that evoke that emotion for me too, but one of the easiest ways is just to remind me of Jessica's wedding. My beautiful oldest daughter has married a wonderful man and I'm so happy for her.....but.....It also seems so final that jess will never be our daughter again in quite the same way. I may be slightly biased, but I just thought the day and occasion were so beautiful. So here are Jess and Jordan on their wedding day.

               Yellow and grey were her colors, and isn't Jordan's niece, Chloe, just adorable?

                                                      The bridal party shivering in a light snow.

                                                                       Our family

                                                                    Jordan's family

 

  Damaris & Nate / guest registrars

 

                                                                                                          

beautiful music by Betsy and Billy

little scallywags

 

Jordan's parents

Jess's parents

 

 

emotional moments...

 

Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Wagler - finally!!!

 

At the reception

 

off to the Dominican republic..

 

So that's why I feel nostalgic sometimes :)

Troyer Reunion



On Fri. afternoon the Troyers and their aunts and uncles and cousins and nieces and nephews and great grandchildren and other connections all started gathering for the weekend reunion. But what would a family gathering be without the Schwartz Quartet???


The Aunts and Uncles have arrived!

So many wonderful things happen in the kitchen!
We socialize and gather around, choosing which type of gourmet coffee we want to try from the Cernavas' stash. We watch our own cooking show unfold as Jake (head cook for the meal) and Lydia (his oldest sister) argue heatedly and humorously about how to fry hash browns. We all take our turns cooking and doing dishes and generally catching up with sad and glad things that have happened.

 

 

Juliana is admiring one of five cakes that the aunts made for the occasion.

 

 

lined up for basketball...

 

The bubblegum race

Moe with his music

Matt at the ping pong table

A group hiking on the ladder trail

 

cousins reconnecting

 

Lots and lots of discussions took place.

 

What an incredible family! Definitely not a boring bunch. Thank you, everyone for coming and adding to the mix. Praise the Lord, most of all for the gift He gave us of placing us together.

 

the merry-go-round

Lately Kathryn's been singing the chorus to a song that Charlotte Kropf wrote. She composed music as well, and the tune is very catchy. (meaning it goes around and around in my head :). )

"So I stepped off the merry-go-round
What they've been looking for is what I have found
I already know where I'm bound
I'm just watching the wheel go around"

I've just been tossing thoughts around in my head about whether it would be a good thing to get off the spin we seem to be on?
I guess it would depend a lot on why, and if you had a purpose in withdrawing. I tend to feel like it's a bit of a "cop out" for some people. When we lived in Central America as children, we made up little ditties like:

We live in Belize
sit under palm trees
eating cheese
never have to sneeze.....ect., ect....

We lived in a certain version of paradise I guess. (At least if you didn't think about the heat and bugs and thieves)
I wonder if some of the stress I feel now is a condition of my mind? Isolation doesn't necessarily equal peace.
Jesus did leave the crowds for short seasons, but then He went back into humanity again with renewed vision and purpose.
Anyway, I don't have a plan to "get off the wheel" but I know I need to live with eternal purpose and not just mindlessly rush around.
Solomon said it well. "So teach me to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto wisdom."