I'm beginning to think the snail doesn't like his new home! He has "escaped" three times since he moved there from the dead-frog aquarium he used to live in. But I have to say, I'd rather have an escaped snail than an escaped lizard or frog or hamster. He's so easy to "catch" when he escapes. :)

We planted four trees on Sunday. One Shumard Oak, one Tulip Poplar, and two apple trees--one Fuji and one Yellow Delicious. We still need one more for the front yard as a shade tree, but not too big, maybe about 40-50 feet tall...any suggestions? I think I'll put in an Arbor Day order soon to get some cheap trees for the back/side yard.

We've been trying to get quotes on new windows. This time of the year, when the weather changes, we have essentially zero visibility out our windows because they're all fogged up. You have to get up really close to the window and look through the lines where a drip has gone down. There is such a range in prices, wish I knew which ones would really last.

Hannah was so funny yesterday. She was having a difficult time trying to draw a picture. She asked me for help, but we were trying to get ready to go to the dining hall for lunch, so I told her to bring her paper and pen, we would draw it when we got there. She stomped off to the other room and I could hear her saying (more like crying), "I asked you to help me and you didn't! (sob, sob) I don't understand why you won't help me. Just for that, I won't be an artist for you anymore, God! If you won't help me, I won't be an artist for you! (sob, sob)" Then she composed herself and came to the living room. I asked her if she got all her frustrations out to God. She started to cry again and told me what she said to Him. I told her that God doesn't always just give us whatever we want, sometimes we have to work at it. That's how we learn. I compared it to cleaning the house: God doesn't just make me clean the house, I have to work at it, as much as I would like to just have it done for me.

Carrie has been adding words everyday, I am amazed at how much she can say and comprehend. It's so funny to listen to her. She says "thing" or "one" at the end of everything. Like this: she will point to an apple and say, "Apple one. Yeah, apple one. Right." Or, "Puzzle thing. Right. Puzzle thing." (Thing sounds like "sing") And even better she says them together like, "I want thing one." What thing one? "Apple thing one." Hannah says it's like The Cat in the Hat with Thing One and Thing Two! Carrie's so cheerful! She comes running with a skip in her step. When she gets to where she's going she jumps once at the end. She likes to be the family clown. She says Hannah like this, "Heeenah" And she says Trafalgar like this, "Tfeelgor" And she LOVES to eat! The funny thing is she loves meat!...and Chocolate! She asks for "Choclit chips" several times a day. I usually trick her with sugar free gum or something. At supper she will eat all her "chickin" but leave the bread or veggies while the other girls do just the opposite. But she never stops moving for long, so she's using all the food she eats.

Alli can spell her name and count to 30! She recognizes most letters, all colors, shapes, and she loves to cook. She is such a sweetheart. She loves to help her sisters ("stisters")! Today at lunch, Hannah and I were playing. Hannah put her arm into her sleeve and ate one-handed, then she told me to, so I played along. Then she said to put both arms in. We were laughing about it, but Alli immediately thought to help out. She offered to feed me!

I love being home with the girls. I can say that today since I've had a good day so far, but it's true even on difficult days. I'm so glad I get to enjoy all those sweet/silly moments from Alli, all the funny words and clowning from Carrie, and all the preaching from Hannah. Thank you, God, for giving me this blessing.

Easter, Field trips, and Bunnies

EASTER
We were able to celebrate Jesus' resurrection with Papa Gene & Gramma Kathy and Mark & Julie's family in Plainfield! The week before saw lots of excitement in a not-so-good way with a hospital stay for one of M&J's kids, so when we were able to all be all together at M&J's house, it truly was a celebration! The kids of course enjoyed playing together, and I love having Julie show her pictures and tell all the great stories about her trip to China! G&K stayed with us Good Friday night and watched the kids so we could go on a date. I love Chinese food, so we took a friend's request and tried a new place...YUK!!! The food was cold, I'm sure it was just because they weren't busy on Good Friday, but either way, we got our money back and went to the food court in the mall for some good Chinese.

FIELD TRIPS
Hannah's preschool went on a tour of the elementary school where she'll be a kindergartener next year. We got to meet the principal and he led the kids around the entire building, answering all kinds of questions. He let the kids have a snack of chocolate milk and goldfish crackers before we left. Hannah loved it! She's so excited about kindergarten.

Then we had Kindergarten registration and screening. The lines were long, the entire process took about 1 1/2 hours, most of that time spent in lines. But it was so neat to meet some of the other kids her age and their parents!

Today we went to the Not Just Popcorn store in Edinburgh, IN. They took the kids into the back room where they pop 2 pounds of popcorn at a time and sort and flavor it. They make 273 different flavors of popcorn, and it's all grown a few miles away! The kids loved it, and it smelled wonderful! The kids got to taste-test kid's flavors like cotton candy, bubble gum, strawberry, and dill pickle (not my idea of a kid's flavor, but lots of the kids liked it). The adults got a grown-up taste-test with flavors like vanilla bean, key lime pie, and prailenes and creme. Each kid left with a sample packet of confetti flavored popcorn that tastes like fruit loops, and the adults got a sample pack of caramel corn.

BUNNIES
Our sweet neighbors, the Burketts, found a nest of baby bunnies and they gave us two of them to keep. We brought them home and fed them milk with a medicine dropper. It's so cute to watch their little mouths drink. They won't eat solid food, though. The girls love holding them gently, and it's so cute! I don't have any pics...I left my camera in Plainfield on Easter!

Updates and pics

It's been sooo long since I've updated this blog. So, I'll let some of the pictures do the talking...

Somewhere around January 30th we got 11 inches of snow, then another 4 inches a couple days later. It was so deep the girls only made it this far out the back door before getting tired out. I guess if I were trying to walk in snow as deep as my chest, I'd get tired too. When it melted down a little, we made great snowladies and Hannah and Mike made a really cool tunnel.

Annual George Link visit: February 18th our friend George came to visit us on his way through from Kentuky to Illinois. Not sure if we're exactly on the way, but we are so grateful to get to spend time with a good friend! He brought back souveniers from Haiti (where he does lots of mission work) for all of us. A wooden carving of the map of Haiti for me and Mike, and beautiful stone neclaces for the girls. Hannah and Alli were able to give George the money they had been saving up "to feed the kids in Haiti."

Cousin's Sleepover I: Julie went to Chicago to get her visa for her trip to China, so we were happy to get Grace, Hope, and Joy overnight and the next day (February19-20)! As you can see, what sleepover is complete without some princesses, some fairies, and some pajama girls? We made puppets, mostly just because I ran out of paper for them to draw on! :) We had fun!

Alli's 4th Birthday!!!! When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she said, "A purple cake with yellow frosting in the shape of a butterfly...AND, pancakes with strawberries." She didn't even ask for any toys. So we took the girls to International House of Pancakes for lunch! She had fun making the cake with me, we used food coloring to make the inside purple. She got some cute books, a movie she loves, some screaming rocket balloons, and an aquarium with two frogs and a snail. She named them "Beauty, Celeste, and Charlie." (Update: one frog died after a few days, and the other wasn't lookin' so hot, so they went for a "swim" down the toilet. The snail is in a cup of water. We're going to plant a terrarrium in the aquarium. haha )

Look at this amazing tower Hannah built! It got knocked down and she rebuilt it just for this photo.

March is great kite-flying weather!

Carrie's 2nd birthday!! Since we celebrated Alli's just a few days before, it seemed like a week-long party! The girls and I made white cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles.

Cousin's Sleepover II: Julie went to China to visit her sister and her niece, so Hope and Joy stayed here for 3 days (March 16-19)! We did every fun thing we could think of--painting birdhouses, picnic, tie-dye, walks to the playground, etc. We had a blast!

...and that's all for now!!! Whew, sorry to you dial-up people!

Signs of spring

Yesterday I heard a Red-winged blackbird, a sure sign of spring! And today we went for a nice muddy walk with my parents. They're in town for Hannah's preschool "grandparent's day." She has been excited about this for two weeks. In her class they have practiced songs and decorated their room for the grandparents. It is so nice to have the grandparents here! We're having so much fun just playing together with the kids.

A few days ago as we were eating, Hannah interpreted some scripture for us. She said, "Jesus doesn't like to eat alone. You know why? Because 'Man does not eat bread alone.'"

Carrie likes to say Grandma ("Ghee-ma") and Grandpa ("Kee-pa"). And when she laughs at something she says, "Huh, fffunnnyyy, Carrie."

Alli likes to show off that she can do the splits. Ouch!

It's been so long

Ok, so it's been so long that I hardly remember what I haven't written down. We've had Thanksgiving and Christmas. And right now I'm writing from the Smoky mountains while Mike and I are at Christian Camp Leaders conference. Let's start here and work our way back. Gene and Kathy are watching the kids at our house while we're here. I love the Smokies, I think they're prettier than the Rockies. We're staying at the Billy Graham Conference center, and we met Will Graham (Billy Graham's grandson) who works here. We miss the girls, can't wait to get home, but while we're here, we're enjoying the scenery and the friends.

Christmas: We drove and drove and drove this Christmas, but it was fun and the kids did well. First, we went to Joplin for the Proctor family Christmas at Katie's house. It was so much fun to have all the cousins together. We had a Pajama party with breakfast for supper one night, a Feliz Navidad mexican dinner another night. One day it was up in the 60s so we rode 4-wheelers and played outside. Fun stuff! We were able to spend an evening with my sister Rachel and Mark, too, and the kids had fun there too! Then we went to visit Great grandpa Proctor, then Great grandma Weede, and the next day on to La Harpe to see my sister Sarah and John and Mom and Dad. We had a fun evening that first day, Mom and Dad watched the girls while Sarah and John and Mike and I went to Macomb for some horseshoes. No, not the game! Horseshoes are an Illinois food, yum! The next day Rachel and Mark arrived and the house was full of kids ages 6,5,4,3,2, and 1! Running, screaming, laughing, and playing filled the house. We had fun being all together--the only time since last Christmas that we've been able to get all together.

Thanksgiving: Mark and Julie invited us to celebrate Thanksgiving with them again this year. Julie's parents and her brother and his family come, too, so we have a lot of fun! The kids played dress-up, and they danced and ran around while Mark played the piano. We are so thankful to have family nearby.

Other: Hannah has been saying some funny things lately. She's been making everything into a sermon. For example, the other day as she was washing her hands she said, "You know, the bubbles take away the dirt off our hands, just like God takes the dirt and sin off us us!" Alli is such a little helper, she loves her frilly apron that Grandma Humphrey made her and she wears it almost everyday. She will do anything--taking dirty laundry to the basket, little pieces of trash to the can, etc. and she comes back to see if there is anything else I need. Carrie has been saying all sorts of new words. She is funny when whe tries to stick up for herself against the other girls. She says, with a growl, "No Alli! No Hannah! Stop it!" then she curls her nose up and laughs!

stitches, spelling, snowsuits, and soapbox

Last weekend we tried out the new pizza place in Trafalgar. I didn't take much for the girls to play with since I figured we wouldn't have to wait long--it's Trafalgar after all, how many people in a town this big could order pizza at one time? The answer, of course, is just about every single person in town. Also, it's mainly a pick-up place. They have seats, but your best bet is to order ahead and then get there, wait in line 20 minutes, get your pizza 20 minutes after it's done, and take it home to eat. There was a steady line about 8-10 people long waiting for their orders. But the pizza was good. Anyway, that's beside the point. While we were there, Hannah randomly asks, "How did your babies come out of your belly?" Luckily in my case I have an easy answer to that question. I said, "They cut a hole in my belly, get the baby out, and close it up." She jokingly said, "Well, how do they close it up, cause they don't sew it." "Actually, they do," I answered. Then she said really loud, "OH! I AM NOT HAVING ANY BABIES! I DO NOT WANT THEM TO SEW ON ME!" Alli said, "While I was in your belly, I didn't cry did I. No, I was a good baby."

Hannah's been learning to read at home. She can sound out some words and she can read some words, so I decided to get some early reader books from the library and give her the satisfaction of reading an entire book. She likes it, but it's amazing how many exceptions there are in our language. I have to keep saying, "These letters together say "___", but a few words later those same letters say something completely different. Anyway, she told me her thoat hurt and was saying, "O-U! O-U! Get it Mom? Ow?"

Alli twists her hair and sucks her thumb just like Hannah. But Alli takes a smaller piece of hair and twists it so tight that it gets in knots. Yesterday she woke up from her nap and looked like she had five little antennae sticking out of her head because she twists and twists and then folds it over and it twists onto itself and then twists again. Kinda like miniature dreadlocks.

Carrie can be jealous and bossy at times with her sisters. I've been watching a little three year old, Anna Beth, four days a week and that brings out the jealousy even more. When Anna Beth walks in the door, Carrie immediately says, "A-Besh! Sh! Shh! Stop!" as if she's already getting into "Carrie's things." She's a sweet girl, though and is easy to take care of.

Today we woke up to a little layer of snow covering the ground. I thought it would be fun for the girls to play in it. So I helped them get dressed. That took about half an hour. Hannah dressed herself and was waiting to go outside patiently, but I knew that by the time I got the others dressed she would be ready to come in so I made her wait for everyone together. Carrie cried for most of that half hour because she didn't want her boots on. I should have left them off anyway cause she didn't like the cold and cried when I took her out there. Would have saved myself one dose of the crying if I had let her go out there barefooted instead of fussing over the boots since she cried anyway when we got out there. Anyway...they liked it kindof. They played for about 20 minutes. Pretty good I thought, and no one had to come in to go potty! Yay! But that was at 8:25 this morning, so we had a long morning to fill with indoor playing and crafts. We made turkeys and glued on tissue paper tail feathers.

I've been going to the Morgan County Jail to help a friend teach Bible study two Thursdays a month. I love it! The girls there are just soaking it all up. Nine of them accepted Jesus and were baptized a couple weeks before I started. They baptized them in a livestock water trough. They are so desparate for a Savior. Most of them I think are in for drugs/alcohol (but I don't know for sure), and I was saying to Mike the other day that it is only by the grace of God that we aren't there in their place. Many of them had decent lives, but just got caught up in something. Some grew up in Christian homes, one planned on going into the ministry, one has a son who is an intern for John McCain, etc. Basically, many of them are just normal average people like us, and we have been protected from all that. Anyway, it's so encouraging to see these girls (most of them are younger than me!) who are "safe" from all those influences, they are clean and sober, and they are at the end of their rope and they are ready for a change. Not every female inmate comes to Bible study, sometimes 2/3 of them, usually 1/2. I expected that they would be skeptical, just wanting an evening out of their cells, but they are interested, they ask questions, they write down any scripture reference we make so they can look it up in their free time, they memorize verses to earn a Bible--and they are so thrilled to receive it! It's not prison, it's just the county jail. So, they might be held waiting for their sentence, etc. Anyway, they are typically there one year or less, so they are coming back out into the community and going to need to be welcomed into a church family and helped along in their faith. They are going to need to be strong to resist the same old influences, they are going to need to make a serious change in order to not be back in jail again. Most of them have kids, many of them young kids like mine. Some of them don't know where they are, just that they are in the foster system, but they don't have contact with them. Who knows what their foster parents are telling the kids about their mom? I admit I would have been one to say, "They should have loved their kids enough to stop whatever they were doing." But drugs don't say that, and if no one else in their life was a positive influence... And really it doesn't matter now, what matters is that these girls change their lives so that it won't happen again. They are so sad to be separated from their kids, and maybe that's punishment enough. When they get out, they need to make strong connections in a church that will support them and accept them and help them. Trish and I are the only women's Bible study, there are at least 3 men's Bible studies. So there is room for more as the jail staff is open to it. Right now we can only go twice a month, but pray that we will be allowed to go every week and that we would be allowed to have one-on-one discussions with the girls too. So pray for these girls. And maybe your county jail needs a Bible study. okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Fall pictures