It's Been One of Those Years

“It’s been one of those years.” I heard this quote in a movie I saw recently. It really was not a significant line in the movie, but it resonated with me. It’s hard to believe that 2010 is almost over. But to be honest, many times in this year I have thought about the fact that 2010 is a year that our family will never forget. It's been one of those years.



On Christmas Eve, as we feasted on our Christmas dinner, we spent some time reflecting on our year, centering our conversation around the advent candle themes. Hope, Preparation, Joy, Love and Christ.

As we reflected on these themes, we shared memories as a family and brought closure to this monumental year. Here are just a few of our memorable events from 2010.


Marking Chelsea’s senior year in high school with our family’s first trip to Disney World…

Losing my Dad in February... It was an incredibly low season for us as a family, yet we were so loved and encouraged by our friends.

So many senior/graduating activities – a fun time celebrating Chelsea’s accomplishments.

Sam’s mission trip to the Dominican Republic

Jack facing his fear of all things medical as he had an unexpected surgery

Figuring out how to let go…

A quick trip to Haiti for Dave and me

Sam gaining more thespian experience as he dabbled in Shakespeare

Jack turning 11 and officially entering the ‘tween years (how can that be?)

As we journey into 2011, there is no doubt we have grown as a family and as individuals. We have grown in understanding what it is journey in this life; what it is to walk in the ways of Jesus as we experience Hope, Joy and Love; and what it is to give Hope, Joy and Love to others.

  
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Project Patio Update

It’s high time for a patio project update.
 No, we’re not finished. It’s amazing how life can get in the way of a do-it-yourself project. Especially if you let it.

Despite my lack of an update, progress has been made. In August we had ten trees taken out of our front and backyard. While it doesn’t even put a dent in the amount of tree-age on our property, it does allow a little more space for our plan. And it allows for a little more health for some of our trees.

In September we dealt with the damaged siding on our house from the old deck and rot that was uncovered behind the deck.

 In November we had our back yard re-graded, raising the grade near the house and improving drainage while preparing a space for our patio and landscaping.

 In the process of removing the trees, and raising the grade, our dog discovered that it is all the easier to hop over our fence whenever she gets a dog’s itch to roam the neighborhood. I will disclose that our dog has always had a Houdini-like gift of getting out of any area she wants, including our fenced-in yard. Usually it's only when she gets fed up with being treated like a dog and not a human. But this past couple of weeks she has been asking to go out much more frequently, only for us, or our neighbors, to find her gallivanting around bringing traffic to a screeching halt…

 So the project today was to plant a pointy, pokey shrub at the sweet spot where she jumps. It will be much more effective when it gets a little taller and wider, but it’s a start. She looks thrilled, doesn't she?

Next step for the patio project… a new back door, storm door, and back stoop. The posts holes for the stoop are already dug.

Plus One

Tonight my doorbell rang, and there stood a familiar face. Not because I see her often, but because I have seen her a lot in pictures recently.


You see, my friend, Lori, moved halfway around the world in August with her family, and I have been following their adjustment and adventures on their blog and Facebook. Recently Lori's mom went for a visit and I loved seeing photos of all that they were doing.

Well, I guess my friend has been reading my blog too, because her mom returned from halfway around the world and there she stood at my door tonight with a special delivery.

A Starbucks City Mug to add to my collection.

OK, so I haven’t been to Dalian yet (do you know where that is?), but I can drink my coffee out of this mug on Saturday mornings and remember Lori and her family. And remember that I should start saving up to make my way to Dalian some day!

Thank you Lori and Karel!

City Mug Saturdays

Most Saturday mornings are sacred in our house. No alarms are set. And we eventaully start our day with a big family breakfast and a big cup of coffee. Or two.

Several years ago we started collecting Starbucks’ City Mugs. Any city that we visit that has a Starbucks, we make it a point to look for a city mug to add to our collection.

Since most mornings our coffee is downed on the go, Saturdays are the day we pull out our city mugs and savor the coffee. So if there is an event or upcoming trip that involves one of our cities, we pull out that particular mug or mugs. For example, on D-day we may pull out our D.C. and London mugs to signify our nation's joint efforts with the UK on that day. Or when some of our family is visiting a city, say for a college visit, we may pull out that city mug in their absence. Various sports seasons are another reason we may pull out particular mugs.

Can you guess why we chose these mugs for today?

That’s right – the Rangers vs. Yankees series is on our mind.

So who am I cheering for? Well, the Rangers, of course. And it’s not because I am a die-hard Rangers fan. Despite being a native Texan, and lifetime Cowboys fan, and having lived in Dallas for 10 years, I am not a Rangers fan.

The NY Mets are more my style. I attended boarding school on Long Island, and worked at a summer camp in the same place during my college summers, and I attended my share of Mets and Yankees games. And the Mets are just alright by me.

So in light of that – GO RANGERS!!!!

And just as an FYI, I am the one who drank out of the Dallas mug. Because Dave has been known to cheers for the Yankees on occasion. What can say - he used to be a Buffalo Bills fan, too....

the economy of silly bands

Dave and I have been in Haiti for the last few days. We’re spending time with the Mangine family. They rescue and bring into their family Haitian kids, who would otherwise be sold into slavery or left on the street to fend for themselves. And they do more in their community than just parent lots of kids. You can follow their adventure here.

Our trip was sort of last minute, so when I was trying to think of a treat to bring the 10 kids, the first small, inexpensive, very American thing that came to mind was silly bands.

So yesterday Dave and I gave each kid 6 silly bands. I figured they would do as American kids do, trade them back and forth, negotiating for the more popular shapes. Instead, within an hour, a micro-economy had emerged in the Mangine home, and suddenly there were a couple of kids with arms full of silly bands, and the majority wearing one or none. I figured it was a short-lived treat.

But amazingly, the economy was still alive this morning. Commodities were still changing hands, much like a stock market. It was a game. They would toss one silly band onto the ground, and then take turns tossing their bands, trying to get closest to the first silly band thrown.

And much like the stock market , I would think I understood the game and who was on top.

And then the players would change

 and someone else was on top.

I wonder who will be on top tomorrow...

As promised... part II

Before I reveal our new room for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, I thought I'd share a couple of before shots. I realized I don't have much in my personal photos of our actual room - I may have to do some more scrounging. But these two photos may give a peek at our very simple stage prior to today(behind two of my silly volunteers).

As you can see, the stage was kind of in a corner.

With the the buzz of all the changes this week, kids were anxious to get into class today... They loved the new stage and room decor. (Complete with real graffiti done by real teenagers...)

But some things never change. Like Mr. Dave being silly....

The girls always at the art table...

And the boys around the air hockey and foosball tables.

Today was a great kickoff to our school year of learning to grow in wisdom, faith a friendship.

extreme makeover part I

I work at a church. In children’s ministry.

I don’t blab that to a lot to people because I think, for the most part, it conjures up a general image in people’s minds. It’s like there’s a stereotype of “children’s ministry” people. Some would see that as a good thing. Others, not so much.

I don’t like a job or a label to define me. And I prefer to perceive myself as anything but “like all the other ________ .” You know – like all the other moms…. like all the other bloggers… like all the other women drivers…. Like all the other children’s ministry people…. Like all the other “Christians.” But that’s a whole different blog post.

Back to my job. At a church.

It’s a big week, specifically in our children’s ministry. We are doing an extreme makeover in our large group environments. All in one week. There have been several construction teams working day and night to get this all done in a week.

I’ve been amazed at their talents, their creativity and their get-it-done attitudes.

This Sunday when the kids come into their area, they are going to notice BIG changes. And I think they’re going to like them. We have some great surprises in store for them.

I promise to post pictures of the big reveal!

You gotta see this

So we let go. almost two weeks ago.

There have been many texts, a couple of phone calls, and couple of very brief visits to deliver needed items. And one drop-in from her to just say hi.

We are all adjusting. At home the boys are finally remembering to set the table for just four, and not ask, "will Chelsea be home for dinner." And Jack has claimed what was her seat next to me at the dinner table. :-) I'm not sure what will happen when she comes home for a visit.

Dave and I are adjusting, too. He doesn't have to rearrange the "upside down forks" in the dishwasher. We're not playing car shuffle in the driveway on a daily basis. I'm stuck with guy flicks on Fridays for family movie night - and there's no more waiting up for curfew, we just go to bed when we're tired!

And, alas, she's adjusting, too. A little too well. :-)

Take a look... http://www.wolfpackerchelsealauren17.blogspot.com/

Letting Go

I’ve thought a lot about letting go recently. That’s because our first-born heads to college this week.


I keep reminding myself that the move to college is just one more step in letting go. After all, as parents we have been letting go bit by bit as our kids grow and develop.

- That first time you leave her in the care of a sitter


- Her first day ever of preschool – and then kindergarten, then middle school, then high school


- Her first sleepover


- Her first “sleep-away” camp or conference


- That first time she drives away in a car without you

- That first time she travels to a different country without you


- Her first date

So moving to college is just another step, right?

That’s what I keep telling myself. Our job as parents is to equip them to venture out on their own. To teach, guide, correct and encourage so they are ready to embrace these moments.

So here we go… letting go.

Stories

A couple of weeks ago, our family took a journey to a small town in Oklahoma. We met my sister and her family there to place a grave marker with the McNutt family plots in memory of my Dad, who passed away back in February.


We came with our families in search of something we could pass to our children to help them know and remember their Grandpa McNutt and his heritage beyond their own perosnal memories of him.

One evening we met with Mike. He grew up across the street from my Dad.

They were best buds from about age 8 through high school. He shared story after story. From their childhood days of admiring Roy Rogers, to hanging out at the soda fountain in the drugstore my grandparents owned, to their high school days of pulling pranks on classmates and teachers. He brought a school yearbook to show a picture of my Dad as senior class president – cool as a cucumber in his rolled up jeans and perfect flat-top hair drinking a Dr. Pepper while hanging out with the rest of the class council (my mom was class secretary!)

We also went to visit my Dad’s Uncle Clay. He’s 97 and I certainly did not expect the stories we got.

For almost 2 hours, Uncle Clay shared stories. They were in no particular order and all came up randomly. Uncle Clay moved to Oklahoma in 1917 in a covered wagon. He was able to sing the World War I fight song by heart. He served in World War II helping lay a pipeline between India and China. (Yup, right over the Himalayas.) He was a school teacher before and after the war. He was city manager of Muskogee for many years. And after retiring took it upon himself to start a foundation to re-beautify Muskogee after a blight wiped out all of their elm trees. He’s now known as the man who made Muskogee a beautiful place to live. And to think… while growing up I just knew him as Uncle Clay.

We couldn’t be in Oklahoma without taking the kids through our parents’ “hometown”. My Mom grew up with her parents owning the town café and my Dad’s parents owned the drugstore. But it doesn’t look quite like we remember it as kids. Back in 1984, about a week after my Grandma McNutt died, a huge tornado came through Morris and wiped out the one-block town. So much history gone.

This strip of buildings have been built to replace what was there. One of the places that was there was the drugstore that my grandparents owned. The old-fashioned kind - with a soda-fountain, booths, and the pharmacy in the back, where my Grandpa mixed drugs. They sold it and retired when I was about 10 or 11. I was so sad when they did. I loved learning to make cherry or vanilla cokes (and drinking them); working behind the counter and even helping clean up and lock up in the evenings.

We left Oklahoma with these stories and more in our hearts. And that's exactly what we were looking for.

You can see it coming

I love summer rain showers. Especially when they are accompanied by thunder. However, our 10 year old is not fond of thunder at all. No matter what the season.

Today we had a doozy of a storm. I was out running errands, getting drenched. Jack was home with his big sister. This is what I came home to.

Yup – he’s learned how to look up the local weather report and follow the radar imaging. What you can’t see is that he was watching Jaws 4 on Netflix streaming at the same time.

Then tonight at dinner we were talking about sharks, as you do. Chelsea mentioned that she’d prefer swimming in clear ocean water. That way you can see the shark coming. As if an expected shark bite hurts less than an unexpected shark bite.

Just like a severe thunderstorm is less scary when you can see it coming on the radar…

Dog Days of Summer

We've been dogsitting this week. Gina and Lola are two of our favorite dogs.

They just come in and make themselves at home.

With three big dogs in the house I sometimes feel like I'm in the movie "Seems Like Old Times" with Goldie Hawn. Everytime a door opens, or a truck drives by, or a dish rattles in the kitchen, or a squirrel rustles leaves outisde, everyone is up and running to check it out. And everywhere we go, there is a dog.

They love to go on our daily walk.

And they love attention.

We'll miss them when they go home.

Home of the Brave

Yes, it’s the 4th of July, and I am ever-grateful for those who went before us and stood up for our freedoms. And I am continually grateful for those who choose to fight to keep our freedoms and to gain freedom for others around the world.

But that’s not what this post is about. I looked up the meaning of the word brave. It says “displaying or possessing courage.”

This weekend, as we celebrate the home of the brave, we have seen a different display of courage in our home.

Friday, our 10 year old, underwent surgery. It was nothing major. At a well-check a few weeks ago, his doctor detected an issue and referred us to a specialist. The specialist then decided that surgery was necessary and scheduled it for 3 days later, which was this past Friday.

Jack is not a fan of all things medical – medicine, dentists, shots, talk of disease, etc. He’d just rather not think about it, much less talk about it or experience it. Fortunately, he’s been our healthiest child so we haven’t had to deal much with his fear of all things medical. Until Friday.

In the few days we had to prepare for his procedure, we talked through a lot of fear and anxiety. As we drove to the hospital that morning, Jack said to Dave, “Dad, you played a pretty good psychologist last night. I’d give you a B.” Eventually that fateful moment came when we walked into the hospital.

Jack took each moment in stride and we did our best to work through the emotions and balance that with distractions.

The cool thing was that he could draw on his sheets.

He had to make sure that they knew his name is Jack even though the records say John.

Eventually they came to wheel him away and he was on his own facing his fears. Later he told me that he wasn’t brave because he cried when they wheeled him away. I reassured him that his bravery was exactly that – his tears were an honest display of how scared he was. And it took courage to keep control of himself otherwise and follow the directions of the nurses and doctors.

A little over an hour later we were in the recovery room with him as he fought the yucky feeling of waking from anesthesia and realized what “you’ll be a little sore” really means. And then the realization that he had not one, but two scars, to remind him of this day.

A little while later we were packing up and heading home – which is exactly where Jack wanted to go. Here he is in his ride out – he told the nurse the two-seater wheel chair might be a bit much for him.

So on this weekend as we celebrate the home of the brave, we’ve been home with our brave 10 year old, who now has quite a story under his belt…

It's summer. Our family schedule is all over the map. There is no consistency week to week and no structure to many of our days. But we still like to sit down as a family for dinner as often as possible. It's just about the only time of day we are all together.

But the schedule of summer, along with the heat, means I need to come up with recipes that 1) are mostly pleasing to everyone 2) not too time consuming in prep and cooking and 3)not heavy on the stomach or too hot in the body.

Last night I made one of my favorites. A friend shared this idea with me a couple of years ago, and it's been a hit with most of the family. (very few foods are a hit with everyone in our family....)

It's easy and requires a grill - keeping the kitchen nice and cool.

For each person, assemble the following:

On a square of foil (I use the non-stick kind) layer:

- Thin slices of potatoes.
- One thin chicken breast

- Feta cheese sprinkled on top

- Seal up the foil packet tight, place it on the grill for 15-20 minutes.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can vary it for each individual, depending on preferences, since everyone gets their own little foil packet.

Last night I used sweet potatoes for Dave's and mine. The kids prefer regular potatoes.

Also, our chicken was marinated in a hot sauce, but not the kids'.

I also used reduced fat feta cheese, keeping in check what we eat.

Served up with a leafy green salad, it was a great balanced meal.

Do you have any fun, favorite summer recipes?

Project Patio

We have a project underway at our house. We’ve reached the point of no return, so I thought it would be fun to blog about our progress.

When we bought this house 4 years ago, it had a wood deck in the back yard. The deck wasn’t in great shape, and we knew it would need some work in the near future.

Well, the future is here. And instead of “repairing” the deck, we decided to remove it and start over from scratch.

Our plan is to give a more landscaped, yet still natural, look to the back of our house.

So after much sweat and hard work on the part of the boys in our house, the deck is gone.

And anytime you remove something from a house, especially one as old as its owners, you never know what’s waiting for you behind or underneath.

What did we find? Well, besides a little rot on the house, we found a concrete slab. About 4’ x 3’ and about 4” thick. I suggested we pay the “trash takers” who will come haul away our wood to demolish the slab and take it away. But Dave was determined to keep this project as low cost as possible.

So now we're ready for the trash-takers.

And we have our patio stones for the re-design.

But first we need a few trees removed. And we can’t do that on our own. Our trees are so tall you can’t see the tops of some of them. Like 80 – 90 feet tall.

So that’s the next step. Stay tuned for our progress....