Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, there was a ship captain.

This captain ruled the Pool Sea.

His huge ship, complete with cannons and swords, was faster than any other. With amazing cunning and bravery, this captain fought off pirates and sharks and bad weather.

His golden oar, which served as his symbol of strength, was always at his side, ready to lash out at an enemy. Who was this incredible, strong, brave, tenacious, captain who terrorized his enemies, but was chivalrous to the people of the land?

He calls himself:

Captain Mickey

Some days

Some days there are just chores and swimming and eating and reading and stuff like that.

This was one of those days.

We woke up late and had pancakes with bananas and maple syrup. Then, I wrote thank-you notes; Chip read; Minnie videochatted with some friends back in Maryland; Mickey played with a friend who was over for a sleepover. Then, we swam in the pool. After we were sufficiently waterlogged, the Mom left to drop off Mickey's friend at his house.

And I am home. There is music playing in the background. The AC is cranking. The house is clean. One Cent's hair is curly from swimming and she tired from deciding whether to sleep on the carpet or on the couch or on the bed. AAAh! Life is full of choices. :)

It has been a normal day.

Twinkle

Reporting for the APN

Hello. I am Twinkle, here reporting for APN (Amazing Phoenamenal News). This just in:

Today the Dad decided to clean out the garage.

It was at eight this Saturday morning when the team, led by the Dad, attacked the garage. Armed with broomsticks and trashbags, they worked their way through the boxes, bikes, tools, plastic bins of clothes, various ropes and screws and pieces of Styrofoam, and stubborn dust and dirt.

Their motto? "No clutter."

Easier said than done. Especially when the thermometer read 100 degrees already. However, this incredible team reached their goal in less than two hours. Their vicious skill and brute strength made it possible to have more space and less stuff in the garage.

Mission accomplished.

What does Minnie, one of the members of the team who attacked the garage this morning?, have to say? "It was boring and exciting." Very profound.

I'm Twinkle here with APN. Thank you for reading.

"...Just Fifteen for a moment....."

what do you know... a few blinks, some diapers, crawling, walking, biking, running.. kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th grades in a row... and we have a 15 year old today; Twinkle turned 15 as of this morning.

From the birthday girl....


10 things I've learned in my 15 years on this earth:

1) God will give me faith if I ask.

2) Makeup has got to be one of the most fun things of being a girl!!!!

3) I can finally cook or bake something without burning, undercooking, overcooking to a point where it is tough, or using salt instead of sugar.

4) I love dogs.

5) I absolutely LOVE writing. It is my hobby. When I am writing on my computer, I feel like I'm in a totally different world. Call me a nerd! :)

6) Little brothers can be big brothers.

7) How to put together an Ikea bookcase without ending up with a shelf on the outside and the doors broken in your hands.

8) Flip-flops rock!

9) I am terrified of dark, murky, water where sharks could be lurking to BITE MY LEG OFF!!!!!

10) The leaving is hard. But the going is exciting.

~Twinkle

Happiness is

finding your friend on Club Penguin......

Maryland.....

Our time on the East coast was too full, too fun, and too rich to put into words....I hope this slide show captures the essence of our time there. And yet, I expect, our memories are even better...

We miss you all.....

The Mom

and so the day arrives

sometimes there are simply no words.


with much love to our friends in maryland......

Our Last Sunday

Yup. Tomorrow is our last Sunday as real members of CLC. The thought of 'dual membership' is quaint but unrealistic:)

Our histories here run so deep... it is hard to believe we are at this moment.

So. Tomorrow it is.
Tomorrow we get to worship at the only church the Dad and all the kid have ever known....
the church where the mom and dad met....
where all the children were dedicated...

Our church.

And then our dear friends will pray for us after the first service and 'send us off'.

Our departure week begins.

The Mom

One Week and Counting

So i originally planned to post lots of pictures of every visitor we visited with.

Impossible!

But since we are a week away from departure, i thought we'd throw out another post of mostly pictures.... suffice it to say it has been a full 3 weeks. We are so grateful for our time here on the east coast.

Pictures coming soon.....

~The Mom