Where O Where . . .

Has our camera gone? I know it made it into the car when we left Canada, but haven't locted it yet. I'm not too worried yet as we haven't looked to carefully. Probably in the car.

For now here are a few quips

Getting out of the car in VA after being in Canada (it was at least 60 here):
"It's beautiful!"

Tonight while watching football:
"Santa, candy. Sit in Santa's lap" - She saw a Santa on tv

After watching a borrowed Dora DVD:
"Baby Jaguar. Save baby jaguar."

Distressed about not finding her "make-up" I asked her where it was:
"Grandpa Robey's" - The first time she's differentiated between the two sets

She asked for her necklace after church. I asked her where it was:
"Toybox" - I took her with me and started going through the toybox in the nursery. She walked to a toy next to it and pulled the necklace out of a little cubby in the toy.

Carriage Ride

Finally time to blog. Steve, Lily, and I went on a carriage ride provided free-of-charge by L-burg. After the carriage ride, we walked a few blocks to have Lily's picture taken with the Grinch. Lily was much more comfortable with the Grinch then with Santa.

She and the Grinch were having a discussion about who all the presents belonged to. THe Grinch wasn't talking just pointing, so Lily was doing the same. The Grinch would point to the presents and then to himself. Lily would point to the presents and then herself. I did get some video, but it is too large. Sorry :(

13 days?

Is that a record or what? The last two weeks of school before Christmas break is hectic for a Kindergarten teacher - well really any teacher. It was nice having Steve home that last week to be with Lily. I didn't have to drop her at the sitter's anymore.

Lily loves to make mommy and daddy coffee with her play dishes. Last week, we asked her on video (haven't uploaded it as our internet connection at home is a bunch of hooey and the file is on our home computer) where the coffee was from: Tim Horton's or Starbucks? For those who don't know - Timmy's is a doughnut chain in Canada. Here answer was quite emphatically - Starbucks! To her defense though, she will usually answer with whatever the last choice is. So if the question is Starbucks or Tim Hortons, she will answer Tim Hortons.

We are in Canada for Christmas until Friday. We woke up this morning and Lily promptly said, "Daddy WAKE UP. Daddy WAKE UP." When he didn't move she proceeded with, "Mean Daddy, Good-bye." Heading upstairs to Grandma and Grandpa.

Christmas Questions?

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? It depends if it's real eggnog or not. I like the stuff from the grocery cooler without the alcohol.

2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? That's a big debate in our house right now. We have a bit of a pass in our house this year, but we will have to make a decision for next year. My family never pretended Santa was real. We talked about St. Nick and we still got presents from Santa, but we always knew it was Mom and Dad.

3. Colored lights on house/tree or white? Just white.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but I would it I had some!

5.When do you put your decorations up? New Year's Day or somewhere around then. THe year we were expecting a referral from China we left the tree up until we received our referral. There was a chance we would get in Jan. 1 or so, but it ended up being Feb. 2. We then took a picture with our tree and the picture of our new daughter!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Yikes, I like it all. Except my husband's family makes Christmas pudding - not sure exactly what it is, but it ISN'T my favorite.

7.When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? See above post about Santa! I have to admit I was the spoiler a couple of times announcing in Kindergarten that Santa wasn't real!

8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Growing up yes - if we were home. We spent a lot of time on the road since we never lived near family.

9. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Traditional Hodge Podge now. Before Lily it was red - matching our Living Room.

10. Snow. Love it or dread it? If it is going to be cold, I want snow. Otherwise I could do without.

11. Can you ice skate? Yes, if I am using hockey skates as the toe pick on figure skates always trips me up.

12. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Sweet Potato Casserole. It isn't really a dessert, but should be!

13. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I am by far used to giving. This Christmas someone chose to give us an anonymous monetary gift to help us have a good Christmas. I have to admit that was hard for me at first. It was very emotional as we are used to being on the giving end. PA school has stretched us in many ways, but learning to receive (take help/etc) has been one of the biggest lessons. I tell myself that I cannot do everything on my own and that I need to allow other's the blessing of giving to us.

14. What is your favorite Christmas song? Sleigh Ride - I have so many memories from playing the song in band. The real song - not versions made easier for younger musicians - is hard, but SO much fun to play!

15. Candy Canes. Yum or Yuck? Yum! If they are peppermint. Not real fond of the weird flavors!

16. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? Nothing formal, but always lots of food.

17. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear PJ's? We haven't really done much on CHristmas Eve because of our travels.

18. Do you own a Santa hat.? Yes.

19. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? We alternate between Steve's family and my family.

I will post another more post - more of an update later today!

N*ked

Had to post this. Lily went down to bed late and I heard nothing, so I thought she was asleep. I turned the corner and low and behold I saw Lily in NOTHING but her shoes (on the wrong feet). She was putting her diaper in the diaper pail. She ran to her room and jumped into bed and under the covers completely and utterly n*ked - well except for the shoes! I took a pic, but it borders on not being internet appropriate, so . . .

ps yes I know that last sentence is a run-on

pps she had put her pjs back in the right dresser drawer

One of those "all over the place" posts

Enjoying some of the lights at the Hubers

Playing in the snow before Cici's

Taking mommy's pic with the cell phone (it doesn't take pics)

Life has gotten away from me to a point in the last week or so. Kids are ready for Christmas. Teachers are ready for Christmas. The Woofs are ready for Daddy to be done and home for a month. 2 finals down, 2 to go! He will be home the day after tomorrow. If you are reading this before Thursday evening pray for peace and sleep for all of us!

Last weekend Steve was unable to come home with it being the last weekend before finals. Going up there wasn't really an option either as we wouldn't see him except to go to church on Sunday morning. My parents helped me fill my Saturday though. I spent the morning in Bedford helping my mom decorate their Christmas tree. Lily helped some (putting all the ornaments on the same branch). When do they grow out of that? Then my mom got tickets to The Virginia Christmas Spectacular or The Living Christmas Tree as they have renamed it. Dad watched Lily and I got to go with mom. WHen we were leaving the church it was snowing. All of us went to Cici's for dinner. Dad let her try a little lemon juice. That is the first part of the video. We finished our evening with a "Christmas tree lighting" at the home of family friends, Jim and Cindy Huber.

I have recently starting using a SAD lamp. I got it off of Ebay for a less than retail, although more than I would have liked. They go quickly and sell well! I have only been using it since Friday of last week. I think it is really helping. My counselor said that if it was going to work I would most liekly start to see results in only a few days. I know school isn't any easier, but I am handling the stress SO much better. The best part about this is that it is a drug-free treatment. Only time will tell if it is really working, but it must be as Christmas time is one of the most stressful times for teachers!

This evening Lily got ahold of our pre-paid cell phone that we keep for emergencies (instead of having a "real" one). She was yammering away. I took a little video (the second half of the video) and took a couple pics.

Probably the biggest news for us is that Lily is starting at a daycare in January. Both our sitters had to back out for personal reasons and we felt that we needed to put her in a place that would ensure a little more stability for her. She is starting at Branches Early Learning Center. She will be in the 2 1/2 yr old class. It seems to be a good place and I have heard many good things about them from others. I think Lily will enjoy having "school" in the morning. In the afternoons, they have more free play and other activities.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

PS Thanks Aunt Kim for the new outfits. They fit wonderfully. It was like an early Christmas for the both of us. Lily insisted on trying on several outfits when we got them Saturday from G and G Robey. The outfits in both pics are hand-me-downs from Lily's cousin Hannah who will be 2 in January. I find it very amusing that she is still getting hand me downs from girls who are younger than she is. She is definitely still our little peanut!

Lily's pics

I wanted to get another set of pictures done with the guy that did our family portraits in Aug 2007, but I just never got around to it. Too busy. So when I had a day off (day before Thanksgiving) and a coupon, I took her to Sears. Not too shabby. Now, we waited an hour from the time we arrived until they actually took us back.

I wouldn't suggest doing pics when EVERY SCHOOL in the area is out for Thanksgiving. The service when we returned to order the pics wasn't that great either. In fact, the session ran into lunch and Lily's nap. That's why I didn't order the day of the session. They were a little miffed that I wasn't looking at/ordering that day. Anyway . . .

Click here view the pics.

Blog posts

SCC posted a video you might like to see: http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/scc/

Kerry Hasenbalg had some very convicting and neat blog posts recently. She works with her husband advocating for orphan care (husband is the executive director of Shaohannah's Hope): http://kerryhasenbalg.typepad.com/

Christmas trees and "snowman poop"

Well, here is a picture of our completed tree. Lily has been noticing all the trees around. I asked her if she would like to have a "trismas tree" at home. She got extremely excited about that! Lily helped to decorate it. It we had left it up to her, ALL of the ornaments would have ended up on the same branch! Now we have to convince her that she is done touching the tree and it is just looking time! The pic is a little fuzzy as I took it in the complete dark. I think our little flash didn't do too badly.

I need to explain the title and the video a bit. The first part of the video is just of Lily as I was putting up the lights on the tree by myself with a two-year old wanting and trying to help. The second part needs a little explanation. Someone gave me "snowman poop" one year. It was a bag of white cottonballs with a little poem in it. I kept it all these years, because I thought it was really funny. Lily found it in the ornament bag and asked what it was. I, obviously without thinking too much, answered her with "snowman poop."

She proceeded to repeat it incessantly. At the same time, she also found a snowman bell (had a small crack in the bottom to allow you to hear the snowman ring better). She started stuffing the "snowman poop" into the bottom of the snowman bell. It made me about roll on the floor! Which is a very good thing as this week has been an incredibly stressful week. Not because Steve's been home. In fact, having him home made it easier to handle the various stressors. Anyway, I digress . . . Suffice it to say that I NEEDED a good LAUGH!

We ended up putting the "snowman poop" on the Christmas tree. I think I see a tradition starting. Just one way to remember the hard times and how God provided laughter to get through it.

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Thanksgiving

We had a wonderfully relaxing, rambling day. Much like this post is going to end up like. We did NOTHING! Steve hasn't left the house at all and Lily and I didn't leave until about 6:30 to get Daddy some Sprite and Tylenol. Yes, he isn't really feeling like himself.

I had cooked most of the dinner yesterday (except for the Turkey). I made only smalls portions as I didn't want to have too much food left over. It worked out nicely. We will have enough turkey to feed us for awhile, but just enough other stuff for one more meal.

Lily surprised the both of us this afternoon. We were both sitting on the couch with a football game on the tv. Steve's gamecube was plugged in, but not being used. Lily proceeded to turn the tv to channel 3, take the game out that was in there, put the game in that she and Daddy have "played" together, and turned the gamecube's power on. Unfortunately, the console wasn't reading the game because the last time Lily had the disc out she got something sticky on the disc.

We told her to take the game to Daddy and he would clean it for her. She did so and then headed to the kitchen returning shortly with a wet washcloth which she insisted on using herself to clean the disc. She trotted off to the player and started to put it in still a little wet. Daddy told her to rub hard on her shirt and she did so with gusto. She put the disc in, turned the player off and then back on. What do you know - the game worked!

Lily does try my patience on a daily basis it seems, but . . . I am so thankful to have her! I was thinking specifically about her birthmom today. We were playing with her belly button and it got me thinking about the woman who chose to give her life. I know this day doesn't hold much significance in China, but I am thinking of her anyway . . .

Sharpie Markers

Now you see it . . .

Now you don't . . .

This happened awhile ago and I never got around to getting the pics posted. This is what happens when you let a two year old play in the living room while you lay in bed and talk to your husband. BTW, magic eraser is what got it all off!

Do you have and know how to use a . . .

FIRE EXTINGUISHER? We do. I balked at the idea on having to get one for our home study approval when we moved to VA. IN doesn't require one.

Last night, I was making my first batch of homemade granola. I went to check on it during the first 10 minute baking segment and found flames in our oven! Steve reminded me to not open the door and see if it would go out on its own, but no such luck. I noticed quickly the cause.

I used one of those gladware baking dishes. Someone had given us lasagna in it when we brought Lily home from China. Well, my only guess is that they are supposed to be one-time use only as the entire pan had melted completely and everything was sitting on the oven floor. The temperature in the oven was only 325F, a reasonable temperature for the dish.

At that point, I told Stephen that I thought we needed to get the extinguisher out. The granola had olive oil in it and I knew from experience that water isn't a good idea when oil is involved.

My advice:
#1 - Get one
#2 - Figure out how to use it before you need to

P.A.S.S.: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep.
Pull the safety pin from the handle.
Aim the extinguisher nozzle at the base of the fire.
Squeeze the handle to discharge the agent.
Sweep side to side approximately 6' from the fire.

I thought about taking pics while we were cleaning up, but it was after 11 pm and we were both tired! I made a small batch today and used only my metal pans. Very tasty!

Thanksgiving Flowers

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Woof for the American Thanksgiving flowers!

Maria: SIx months in heaven

Just a friendly reminder to keep praying for the Chapman family. Tomorrow is the 6 month anniversary of "the accident" and of Maria Chapman's passing. They need our prayers every day, but ESPECIALLY tomorrow!

Jen

We're still here

My inital reaction was to say not much is going on here. But . . . The truth is I have been very busy. School (as in dealing with Kindergarten in a public school) is getting progressively harder for me. I am trying to show God's love, but when you have parents who refuse to medicate when it is NECESSARY and those who just don't care. It is hard to teach when various behaviors rear their lovely heads.

Lily is making some progress on the potty-training front. We have found that she likes nuts. SOrry Daddy, I guess she is taking after her mom on this one. I bought a can of mixed nuts and she gets to pick one every time she goes in the potty. This morning we were even late for church, because she was sitting on the potty trying to go #2. Well, it happened. It just took 10-15 minutes.

Gotta run. I want to get to bed early. If you can think of it, pray for all three of us this week. We didn't make connections this weekend. This is only the second time since Steve left for school. The last time, the week was long and hard. Lily is starting to ask to talk to Daddy on the phone more readily. We are looking forward to getting webcam set up after Thanksgiving.

More Lily Musings

"Daddy, sit" Do want Daddy to drive? "Yes" (we met at my school in Amherst so I could survey the "damage" from being out yesterday, so we had two cars there) Whose going to drive Daddy's car? Do you want Mommy to drive it? "Yes"

"Fruit, Look, Guys, I eat it."

"Seatbelt off"

"Mommy's house" upon returning home with daddy from mommy's school

"It's my turn" You want daddy to check you out? (with her Dr. bag) "Yes"

"I'll be right back. I got it!"

"Party Cake" upon finding her birthday candles in the kitchen drawer

These are mearly from the last two hours! There is SOOOO much more I can't keep track of it all.

The Potty

Bless her heart - she tried!

We were laying in bed and I asked Lily is she needed to go potty. She didn't really say anything, but stood up and told Cassie to "Stay here." She turned around and told me the exact same thing. I thought she was going to play, then I heard the distressed cry - "Mommy!"

Her potty is one of those all-in-one. It is a self-contained potty that sits on the floor (I was told that it is easier for them to learn to go #2 if their feet can rest on the ground) and you can remove the seat to put it on the big potty and then use the rest of the potty as a step stool.

Well, yesterday we tried sitting with the seat on the big potty and I hadn't changed it back. I followed the voice to the bathroom. She had proceeded to pull her jammies and her pull-up down, but could not climb up onto the big potty before she had an accident. I feel sure that if it had been on the ground she would have done the whole process (pulling down, potty, and pulling up) by herself.

Bible

I brought Lily into bed with me just after 6am to try and rest a little while longer. About 6:20, I thought I heard her leafing through my Bible. I turned over to look at her. She was laying on her stomach with her elbows on the bed and her chin propped up in her hands. She would "read" a little, say "bible," then turn the pages. All this transpired shortly before the "potty" incident mentioned above.

Her sitter also told me Thursday afternoon that she is very reverant and takes praying before meals very seriously!

Visit with Daddy

Trying to sit on the blanket while Daddy was folding it
"Trying on" Daddy's sweatshirt and pants


Almost there!

These are from last weekend. I was home sick yesterday, so I had time to upload some pics

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Adoption Day at Hess's Corn Maze

Bethany, our adoption agency, had an adoption fun day celebrating National Adoption Month last Sunday. It happened to be in Harrisonburg, so Lily napped at "Daddy's House" and then we stopped by for a couple hours. The weather was much nicer than last year. After Deanna, our social worker, tied the balloon to Lily I let her wander a bit as I could readily keep track of her. She played contentedly for quite some time until I saw her heading for the corn field. Now, it was a corn maze, but she didn't enter at the entrance. If you look closely at the picture of the field, you can see her balloon.

If I can get it uploaded, I will try to get some video posted.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thank you Cristie

Please read this post regarding orphans. http://martinemadness.blogspot.com/2008/10/reminder-of-gods-mercy.html I love Lily so much. I often take for granted that she hasn't always been a part of our family. Cristie also had a WONDERFUL post regarding the upcoming election that you should read if you have time. I have never met her, but we have a link that is so VERY strong. Our daughters spent 5 months living under the same roof in China! Maliah came home to her family just 7 months before Lily joined our family!

ps I took some wonderful pics this weekend in H-burg. I NEED some sleep or I would post them now!

Fall Festival #1

Take #1 - This one might have been the end of the picture taking, but I was in too close and wanted to try again!
Take #13 - She insisted on having her bear in the picture with her. She has been carrying bear around like a baby the last two days. She's even started asking to be a baby - having me hold, rock, feed, etc. She even has the fake baby cry down pat!

Take #14 - Cheesing it up for the camera

Checking out her stash! This was taken horizontally, but blogger changed it for me and I don't know how to fix it- Sorry!

"Signing up" for a cake auction. She did this all on her own. I think she saw the paper and just wanted to draw!

Our church had its fall festival tonight. I bribed her by telling her that she would see Riley (an older gentleman that gives her "Tootsie Rah Rahs") just to get her costume on her. Unfortunately, we didn't see Riley, but Lily got a handle on the trunk-or-treat very quickly. I had a HARD time getting a good picture of her ahead of time though. Eighteen shots to be exact!

Must read and watch

I usually don't post things like this, but this really bothers me!

Follow the link to read what a fellow mom of a Xuwen baby wrote: http://martinemadness.blogspot.com/2008/10/so-many-red-flags.html

How Hard Is It?

Well, let me see if I can give some perspective. Steve would be best at this, but he is a little busy studying.

Two of his classmates have significant others who are 1. an ER doc, and 2. in medical school. They have both commented on what the anatomy professor is expecting of Steve's class. They both seem to agree that this class is harder than what they had in MED SCHOOL!

One of his profs has been out for a week (wife had a baby). The person filling in for class also commented on a couple of things. One comment being that they will never have to know that (whatever that was) in a clinical setting.

Just because you know a lot DOESN'T make you a good teacher!

Well, I had better go. We were supposed to leave the library to go have dinner 15 minutes ago in order to meet some classmates for a movie at 7 p.m. Oh BTW, I am actually in H-burg with out the Bugsmeister! Lily is staying with G and G Robey. She slept well last night. Hope tonight goes just as well!

Sorry :(

Lily took this picture

I am SO sorry that I haven't posted since the concert. We are still adjusting to life as a family of two during the week. Can you believe that I am in the middle of my 13th week of work (10th since Steve left for school) with only 4 1/2 weeks until Steve is home for an entire week? Continue to pray for Steve. He is VERY smart and can handle just about anything! We are both struggling - feeling many days the thought, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Onto more important things . . . Lily continues to amaze me. On the way back from our trip to visit Steve in Harrisonburg, Lily babbled continually.

Anna do it, Elanna do it, Stop It, Anna (Ellianna is one of her sitter's children - the one who she plays with while the other's are at school).

Check mommy, sit here (patting on the couch - she used her doctor bag to check me over)

Underwears, underwears, princess, princess - She came out of her room after running around with out a diaper on with a pair of her underwear on. Facing the right direction. She also had a onesie pulled over her head on top of the shirt she was wearing.

She is no longer using a sippy cup, a pacifer (she picked up that habit at her first sitter), or her blanket during the day (only to go to sleep with at night). Check out the picture above.

We have made it a habit of watching a Praise Baby video before bed. It really helps with her transition to bed. She knows that she drinks a yogurt while watching it and then heads to bed right after. I have been putting her to bed a little later as that seems to be helping her go to sleep easier. She doesn't complain as much if I wait until 8:30 or so. Tonight, I am not sure when she fell asleep. We laid down together and snuggled under a Daddy blanket (blanket to keep you warm vs. one of her security blankets). We both fell asleep. When I woke up, it was 8:50 and the video was over and playing the music it plays at the menu. Lily was like a rag doll as I carried her to bed!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The United Tour

The Roanoke Civic Center will never be the same!

Working hard

Do I have to touch it? - oh she did. She ate her fair share too!

MW Smith on Keyboard and SCC on guitar singing "How Great is Our God"

Bummed a ride from an adoring fan

Grandpa is the coolest!

Except when David is around - Wish we had been able to catch her smile :)

Packed up and ready to head for home at 11 pm

I absolutely couldn't pass up a chance to volunteer for Shaohannah's Hope and see a great concert. We arrived at 6 pm and left the venue at 11 pm. Lily was spectacular! You could not ask for more from a 2 1/2 year old. We told them that we might have to leave early depending on how Lily was doing.

That little bundle of energy and sweetness made it through the entire concert - even clean up with NO temper tantrums or meltdowns. That was a feat as she has not been herself since about Friday: clingy, whiny, and just awful if she isn't getting her way. I think it's a combination of teething, a new sitter, not seeing Daddy this weekend, being 2, etc.

I think people really enjoyed seeing her. She had a blast "working." She handed out brochures and fortune cookies. They asked us to try and pass out all the brochures marked for our city. They even had some left over from the show in Cincinnatti the night before. I am proud to say that Lily completed her task - so well that I didn't even have one to keep for a scrapbook!

We had the privilege of talking with David Trask (SCC's road manager) a couple different times. It is always nice to see people you have met before and see how they are doing. He thought she looked like Stevey Joy, but I told him from everything I have learned about Maria (love for life, living it large, and happy happys and mad mads) that Lily has a personality similar to Maria!

It was also nice to share such a special night with my dad. Usually it is mom (we both love SCC's music), but she was in Florida finishing up a cruise!Please. please, please continue to pray for SCC and his entire family. People have a tendency to forget once an "event" isn't news anymore. It is still a struggle and they still need our prayers and support!

Lilyisms

"I put it on, sock"

"I draw something"

"Circle"

"Green - Go"

"Red - Stop"

"Daddy Home"

"Miss Daddy"

Little Better

Thought I would update you. I'm not 100%, but I am on the road to recovery. I took half a sick day on Tuesday to go to the doctor. I hesitated to go, because the last time I went for virtually the same symptoms - they told me to just wait it out. This time I got a round of antibiotics and it made a world of difference!

Sick!

I am so stressed out and sick now. I can't remember my last solid 7-8 night's rest. The last week I have been lucky to get 3 hours at a time. The last few days I have tried to rest at every possible moment. I am coughing and hacking. Lily was awake last night from 4:30 - 6:00 and I woke up tonight at 3:30 and it is 4:30 now. I know I won't get better without sleep, but my body is just not cooperating.

Please God, I know you could instantly make me 100% better. I really can't do 4-6 weeks of this.

Tomorrow is Steve's B-day

If you think of it, wish him a happy birthday! We are going up this afternoon and staying until after church tomorrow.

A Milestone

I am so excited about this one. It may not seem like much, but it's a big deal to me! Today for first time since we had Lily - are you ready for this - I took a shower while she was awake.

Daddy wasn't home and she wasn't locked in the bathroom with me! I sat her at the dining room table with her crayons and told her I was taking a shower. I made sure she knew I was in the bathroom and could get me if she needed me.

I came out 20 minutes later feeling much better and dressed for our day! She was in the same spot I left her and hadn't gotten into anything. I might just have to try this more often!

Week Six of PA School Begins

Steve left this afternoon for his sixth week of PA school. Can you believe it? That also means that I am starting week 7 of teaching and week 9 of working. Only 8 more until he is home for a week at Thanksgiving and 12 until he is home for a month for Christmas!

Steve cleaned the house this morning while I got groceries all before we headed out to church. The first pic is where he found Lily. She was "chilling out" listening to music that she had turned on herself.

Look Familiar?

"Mommy's new car"

"Mommy's car owie"

We took the plunge . . . It is a much nicer car. It has about half the miles, leather, and a moon/sun roof. It accelerates and brakes beautifully. The power locks and the anti-lock brakes all work. The color is a tad different, but not by a whole lot. We take it back Wednesday to have them finish working on the air conditioning (they were in the midst of replacing it). I was so anxious to get out of the SUV because of the price of gas. I told them we would take it home today as long as they would finish the work later.

The Kiss

I know I said my posts would be few and far between. I couldn't resist this one. Thank you God for finding our camera. Enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Buns

My mom gave me some dinner rolls that we left over from a church function. Only 2 of them made it to the house. I glanced back to check on Lily, because she seemed really quite. She was stuffing her face with bread! She ate about 3/4 of each roll she got her hands on!

Standing

Ephesians 6:11b - . . . so that you can take your STAND against the devil's schemes.

Lily and I went to Harrisonburg again this weekend. Kinda last minute. This morning's sermon was on taking your stand against Satan. It really spoke to and encouraged me. We don't have to fight the devil. We are called to STAND. The pastor is the brother of the pastor of our home church in Lynchburg. He used an illustration we've heard from our pastor about when their dad rode out Hurricane Hugo on his fishing boat.

We are in the midst of our own personal storm. I firmly believe that Satan is attacking our family. Here is a list of just a few things that have happened:

Mon. 8/25 - Steve starts school
Fri. 8/29 - Lily and I are in the accident
Fri 8/29 - Steve is prevented from coming home until the following day
Thurs. 9/4 - Lily begins showing signs of the Hand/Foot/Mouth viral infection
Mon. 9/8 - Lily diagnosed with HFM
Multiple times - I'm dealing with some serious issues with kids in my class
Ongoing - Steve's health issues haven't cleared up.


In the midst of all that, I'm praising my Great God and Father in Heaven for:

A borrowed vehicle since we didn't have rental coverage
Grandparents - took care of Lily when she had HFM saving my few sick days
Steve got an 88 on his first Pathophysiology test - needed an 80
Lily started sleeping through the night again this past Wednesday
Steve's apt - allows for visits with Daddy when he can't come home to L-burg
Meals provided by our home church, LFCN - they've been a lifesaver!
I've remained healthy and not completely exhausted

Please continue to pray for us. I can feel the prayers. Sooner or later, one of two things will happen. Either Satan will see that we are STANDING and can't be moved and he'll give up. Or God will put his hand up and say enough is enough.

I'm STANDING in God's power until one of the two happens!

Tidbits

Lily and I went to visit Steve up in Harrisonburg Friday night. My mom had a commitment at 3 up there, so my mom and dad picked Lily up from the sitter's house and I left after school was out. Lily, Steve, and I went swimming at the JMU pool. The two of us travelled back while she napped.

This morning she woke up rather lethangic with a bit of a fever. I thought she was just teething, so I gave her some meds and we went off to church. We had lunch and she napped a couple of hours. She woke up HOT and crying pretty hard. Her temp was 102.7F. I gave her motrin which has helped in the past and it only brought her temp down to 100. She seems to be doing better. Her appetite hasn't seemed to be affected. My mom is coming (on her day off) to watch her, so the sitter doesn't have to deal with a sick Lily!

The car search is still going. Thought we found something, but not so sure anymore. Trying to be patient as we wait for the right car.

The Accident in Lily's Words

If you haven't read the previous post you might want to read that first :)

I thought you would be interested in Lily's impression of the accident (along with pics of the car that we took today when we went to get the plates).

Lily looked like a dear in headlights initially. We our gaze met, she started crying. My first thought was Oh, crud - we'll have to get a new car, because somehow I knew we were both okay. While we were sitting on the side of the road, she sat completely still in my lap. After a few minutes she started talking and pointing to the car.

"Uh-oh"

"Broken"

"Mama car hurt"

"Car broken"

"Mama car broken"

"Mama ok?" - a question

"Yaya (lily) ok." - a statement

Her sitter came and got her and took her back to the house while my Dad and I finished up. Rhonda said that she was saying "car broken" back at the house.

This morning she was wiping my tears. Little ones understand so much more than we give them credit for!

Praise God for Car Seats

And air bags, a dad who will drop anything for you, good friends who will sit with you while you wait for the police, a loose baby tooth, minor burns from the said air bag, miniscule "paper cuts," minor bruises, and car insurance.

Can life get any more complicated? The answer, I am learning, is ALWAYS yes. Lily and I are fine, but I failed to yield the right away resulting in the total demise of our Honda Accord.

Please pray for us to find a vehicle quickly as we aren't carrying rental insurance on our car anymore. We will probably rent one for at least a week. It will be difficult with me teaching and Steve in Harrisonburg.

I am SOOOO thankful that both of us are fine and are as healthy as we are. I am a little sad to see my Honda go. It was a great car. It gave us nearly 8 years and at least 100,000 miles (the odometer went out, so we aren't sure) with no major expenses. It just might be the best $8,000 we spent.

Another Sunday

Today was a special Sunday for me. It was the last one before classes start for Steve. The last one before he has to STUDY! We were able to relax most of the day and do a few things. We made milkshakes after dinner and then went for a walk. I uploaded video this evening while I kept Steve company on his drive to Harrisonburg (VIA the phone). I am unhappy to report that he is there. I am happy to report that he made it safely. I cried a few tears this evening.

The ice cream video is from today. The car video is from last week. The picture is from yesterday. Ten years from now, she'll want to get paid for doing it! She was all about helping mommy mop and clean yesterday. I'll add the second video once it's finished uploading.

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