A Little of This and a Little of That...

Alli chillin' at school...

A gift for mommy...handpicked and arranged by Miss Kaitlynn herself...

I don't know if I mentioned it on the blog, but last summer I had a group project due for class, and it came to me that a great thing to do would be to form a committee to raise money for our new church sign. Obviously the money would have been raised with or without my committee, but it was a very organized way of handling the situation, and fit perfectly with my class assignments. After approval from the powers that be at church, we undertook the project. After a loooonnnngggg winter, and lots of work (wiring, cement, etc.), the sign was set last evening. The digital boards will hopefully be wired in this weekend, and then the caps will be put on the tops of each end.

Mom mom has enjoyed giving each of my children their first taste of lemon. Alli's opportunity came last night at Bob Evans, and although she made some great faces, she always came back for more!







****I am entering another "research paper madness" week! Pray that my brain clears and my children become angels for the next few days...that would make things a little easier!
****My sister (the only one I have) has informed me that my dear little niece or nephew (we shall soon know which it is) loves to do acrobatics in its little water bubble! She is enjoying being able to "feel" the life within her, and I am so excited that she is doing well. They come home around June 14.
****I forgot to issue a blogwide "Congratulations" to our dear friends Phil and Stephenie (Clemens) Brugger on the birth of baby boy #3, Chase Stephen. Chase was born last Thursday at around 12:30 p.m. and was about 6lbs. 12oz. He is adorable, according to all of the pics they have sent. "Big" brothers Blake and Kade are enjoying the new addition!

Issues...

Many of my blogfriends have been concerned about the recent ruling in California regarding home education. American Family Association has sent numerous emails, Focus on the Family has posted concerns...I have not heard much about the story in the last couple of weeks, therefore I am rather ignorant of its current implications. It saddened me to hear of yet another "attack" on our freedoms, religious or otherwise, in raising our children according to what we feel are God's mandates. I realize that many people, who are not necessarily Christian, homeschool their children. The State of Ohio has a internet homeschool program (they provide everything just like in public school, free of charge) which I'm sure many non-Christians use. The major difference between this program and other non-goverment programs is content rather than method. The government programs still use government-approved curriculum written and controlled by humanistic philosophers. They obviously wouldn't be affected by such a ruling since their "teachers" (who hail from some very remote location) are all state certified, I'm sure.
This "ruling" (like I said, I'm not sure where things stand now), could also have detrimental effects for Christian schools down the road. Requiring teachers to be state-certified in each subject they teach is a little over the top if you ask me, but who am I...
I am curious to see how you feel about this subject...


****I just found some current info. at californiahomeschool.net

GBS 1998 College Grads???

I am just curious to see how many bloggers are '98 GBS grads. Any plans for a "10 year bash"?

Good Times on the Weekend...

Bass Pro...they don't make a tent big enough for all that energy!


A couple of good daddies...

Love this one...

Very, very, very tired...

Happy at halftime...

Friday was the very last day of our Spring Break. Most of you probably had yours last month, but ours is always during IHC so our families can go without missing class. On Thursday night, Allison started getting really fussy again. By later Friday it was apparent that her antibiotic had not taken care of the congestion, etc. She started rubbing her ears, coughing, etc...all those things that make a parent nervous. By the way she is chewing on her tongue and rubbing it on her gums, I think she is trying to work on some teeth. Sunday she started runnng a temp. again, and by that night I could hardly keep it below 100 even after Tylenol. Since we just saw the doc a couple of weeks ago, they called me in another med on Monday. It seems to be doing its job already.
Back to Friday...it was a gorgeous day! The kids had fun playing outside, and we prepared for our Cincinnati trip on Saturday.
Saturday morning, bright and early (for a Saturday), we left our home and headed south. Mrs. Alley, a dear friend of ours, rode with us so that she would be able to spend time with her granddaughter at GBS and attend the Collingsworth concert. After dropping her off on campus we made our way to Cincinnati Mills mall, where we met Mark, Jana, Khara, Kelsey, Kaden, and Karsen. Bass Pro was the 1st stop, and with 8 kids 8 and under, it was quite a treat! Fortunately the mall had a decent little play area, and the kids spent some time together there. We had dinner together at Skyline, then parted ways to prepare for the concert.
On our way to grandma's, mom called to see if we could drop by Bob Evans in Kenwood to meet her cousin who was in town for an awards ceremony. It was my privilege to met David and his wife, who were having dinner with mom, dad, and grandma.
Since many of my fellow bloggers were at the concert, I failed to take pics of Music Hall. I may have to "borrow" one or two from somebody's blog! This was my second or third visit to the Hall, and I was still amazed at the beauty of such an old building (anyone feel the creakiness of the floors?). The concert was neat, with my favorite part being the "Keaton kids" singing together. I could listen to that all day! That is the kind of music we had in our home as kids, and I have always loved the family harmony.
As soon as the concert ended we said hello to a few friends, and hit the road for Lima. Dropping into bed a little after 1 a.m., we were exhausted. Sunday School came bright and early...and we made it ON TIME!!!! (Sorry, but I have some trouble in that area, so I'm quite proud of myself!). All in all it was a great week, and we were able to see tons of friends and family.

***I have to share this one...it blew me away...
We had balcony seats for the concert, which was perfect considering we took all 4 kids. Our seats were right in the center, about 6 rows up. We had a great view. Since the seats were tight and my boys feet don't quite reach the floor, I took the opportunity approx. 15 minutes before the show started to quietly tell the boys to keep their feet down, hold still in their seats, refrain from tapping their toes on the seat in front of them, etc. Before I could finish giving them this information, the lady directly in front of Evan turned around and said, "You had better sit still...OR ELSE!" If you can imagine the nastiest tone of voice you've ever heard, that's how she said it. I thought she was going to laugh and just act like she was listening in on the little pep talk I had been giving them, but no, she was dead serious. Even down to the huff and puff. I just stared at her, not even knowing what to think. She promptly turned the other way, continuing her nasty attitude.
Now, I am the 1st to admit when my kids are bad (I think). Many times they don't sit still, fight, etc., but they weren't doing any of this when the "beast" attacked them! She wasn't a "conservative", so the likelihood of me ever seeing her at any of our functions is probably pretty slim, but her impression will probably never be forgotten by Evan, who was a little more than ticked!

WE SURVIVED (and actually enjoyed) IHC '08!

Baby Charlie -- so sweet...

This is the only pic I took of grandma and mom...sorry guys!

This one isn't much better!

Ryan passing the time in Ruby Tuesday...

Evan and Jaime (Evan trying hard to do the "cool dude" pose)...

Aunt Sarah meets Charlie...

That's more like it!

Aaron and Sarah Ann...

Karson is wondering why he has to get his pic with this hormonal chic!

The gang...



These cheeks were made for squeezin'!

Wednesday evening we made the trip to Dayton for what turned out to be an enjoyable evening. Sliding in on the tail end of the GBS Alumni gathering, we were able to visit with some "old" friends, and meet up with Mark, Jana, and their kids. After a looooonnnnngg evening service (do I hear an Amen???), we hit Ruby Tuesday's on the way home to soothe the tummies of some very hungry kiddos. The drive home was great, and we landed in Cridersville somewhere after the midnight mark. Thursday morning we again headed south to Dayton, and arrived at the tail end of the a.m. service (no...it wasn't planned that way!). We enjoyed lunch at the Spagetti Warehouse with mom and dad, Mark and Jana, Dana and Phil Vernon, and Brenda Englund. It was good eatin' to say the least. The afternoon service was great (even chatting with friends in the nursery was fun), and we were able to see lots of people before evening. Mass choir was awesome, once again, and IHC '08 finished with a hopefulness for the future of our movement. After Thursday's service we again hit Ruby Tuesday's on the way home, and enjoyed spending time with some of our Yount family there. Grandma and Aunt Sarah, along with Uncle James, Jaime, Aaron, and Sarah Ann joined us for some great food and visiting. We dropped into bed sometime around midnight, and that was the end of the IHC adventure! We didn't even have to use handcuffs this year!!!

Field Trip...

Last Monday our school took another trip to the United States Air and Space Museum in Dayton. We had a great time, as usual, and saw lots of new exhibits. Each year they add incredible things to their collection. Kaitlynn was very excited, for this was her first time to be able to walk through the Presidential planes. The most recent plane retired there was used by Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. The neat thing about that building is that it is located on the Air Force Base, so you get to go through security.

What's That Smell?????

While mom and dad were in Cayman, those of us at school noticed that the toilets were having serious issues. We sent kids down to the church side to use the facilities there, since the school side kept backing up. When dad arrived home, he found a *little* bit of a mess. :) Initially he thought that somebody had flushed a "foreign" object, but upon further examination found that it was on the outside...way far from the school...at the road. Thankfully we have a family in the church who own a business and have lots of dirtmoving equipment! An SOS was sent out to the guys in the church, and they spent a Saturday digging. Apart from some minor "sludge" in the pastor's bathroom, all is now fresh and flushable!

Playing Catch Up...

Kaitlynn ready to leave the hospital...




I'm so far behind in blogging...hope you enjoy the very outdated pics!

IHC?

Bloggers are curious as to who is making the pilgrimage to IHC, so here's my report...

I have come to these conclusions concerning taking children to the convention:

One child at IHC = adorable and fun
Two children at IHC = cute and manageable
Three children at IHC = "I'll never, ever, ever do this again!"
Four children at IHC = Probably about like having three children at IHC only with the addition of breastfeeding and poopy diapers...hmmm

Where's my sense of adventure, you ask?
Right up there with my sense of self-preservation!

Anyway, in all seriousness, IHC has always played an pretty important part in my life. Some years I've just gone for the fellowship...admit it, you have too...but fellowship is an important part of passing the heritage of holiness to our kids. I think this will be my 32nd IHC - I was still receiving "womb service" at the 1976 convention! As kids it was a highlight of our year, and now my children wouldn't miss it for anything.

Our plans will be a little different this time. With a growing family, things become slightly more difficult:
Motel room = 2 beds/6 people. You do the math. Instead we will be there on Wednesday evening, make the 50 min. drive home, and will do the same Thursday morning. This will save mounds of packing, a sleepless night, and grumpy, noisy kids at a hotel! We are blessed to have easy access to Dayton (we are less than 2 miles from I-75), so this should be a fairly painless option, providing safe travels.

Here's to three days of Arby's and Spagetti Warehouse! (If you get ambitious, bring your gym shoes and hike on over to Uno Chicago or Quizno's. I guarantee you'll walk off your lunch before you get back to the convention center!)
Oh, and if you see one of my boys bungee jumping off the bleachers, tell him to quit acting like his dad. :)

Mixed Emotions...

yes, I'm a woman, therefore I'm allowed to have those! Life is not always filled with pleasantness, there are many disappointments, too. I have two things today for which I am very thankful! After Monday's post, Allison became very sick. By Tuesday morning, she was very lifeless, carrying a low-grade temp, and moaning with every breath. I was able to get her into the doctor 1st thing, and although they didn't give a distinct diagnosis, they put her on antibiotic. Her right ear did have some redness. Over the last two days she has had high temps off and on, lots of head congestion, and no appetite. I was fearful of dehydration yesterday, as she had very few wet diapers and wasn't taking much liquid. She hasn't started baby food yet, so milk is her only sustinance, and she wasn't taking it from either me or the bottle. Throughout yesterday evening she perked up somewhat, and ate off and on throughout the night. Today her temp is 98.9 without Tylenol! She is resting peacefully, taking her nourishment, and smiling as before. Thank the Lord! I'm still going to have fun getting amoxicillin down her 3x daily for another 8 days. She hates it, clenches her gums, then blows it all over the place once it is in her mouth! Ugh!
For those of you who have kept up with my blog from the beginning, you may remember my comments about some research I did for a class last summer. I wrote on the topic of polygamy in the church of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, and mentioned my disgust as to how this type of community could legally exist in the USA. With the amount of sexual abuse that takes place within the walls of the compounds, it just amazed me that more was not done to stop the criminal behavior. As I'm sure you've heard, a 16-year-old girl finally was able to call authorities with information on which they could legally act. All the things I read about are now broadcast on major news networks, and the anchors are acting stunned that this wretched behavior has been occuring. For the sake of the 400+ children who have been "rescued" from this lifestyle, I am so thankful. My heart is heavy for the children who have children (14-year-old girls w/3 kids of their own...). How they will be placed by Child Protective Services, God only knows. I know we are far detached from their circumstances, but I'm sure our prayers for them won't go unheard.
Well, I know this post wasn't much, but it's probably all I'll have for a couple of days due to an essay and a mid-term exam facing me before the weekend. Thanks for all of your prayers for the kids!

Monday Mumblings...

Hey! I trust all of you have had a great start to your work week. Knock on wood, nothing wild or crazy happened today, and we made it to school just fine! The dr. never called with a positive strep test on Ryan, so that is a relief. He and Kaitlynn are still on antibiotics, and will hopefully be in A+ shape real soon. Kaitlynn has her follow-up dr. appt. this afternoon. Allison has head congestion now, but by the way she is chewing on her bottom lip it may just be the start of teething. Yea!
Some friends at church told me that they love reading my blog because it is like a soap opera...dramatic, I guess. In an effort to maximize the soap opera effect, I share this with you. A couple of weeks ago, Greg had a nightmare...he was VERY SCARED when he awoke. What was it, you ask? His dear wife took off with some guy from Illinois and left him with 4 kids! I laughed hysterically when he told me this...the mental picture was just too much! Anyway, hope you enjoyed that tidbit, and no, I have no interest in leaving my husband or my four children, so rest easy, Greg!

Another Day...

We are all at home again today. Results of the boys' dr. visits are as follows:
Ryan was tested for strep. They have not called to say the test was positive, so I'm holding my breath...he is on antibiotic anyway. Evan has some sort of infection on his skin, which we are now treating with antibiotic cream. Kaitlynn had a bad evening again yesterday. She is better this morning, so I'm trying to push intake as much as possible. She gets rather aggravated at my forcefulness, but doesn't quite understand the need for it. I explain it this way, "Do you want the water in your mouth or through the tube in your hand?" That usually gets her to cooperate for a few minutes!
I needed to run to the church this afternoon to do a counseling session as part of my practicum for class. I had everything loaded into the van, and when I turned the key, a sound resembling a machine gun erupted from under the hood. Greg said the battery needs charged...I'm holding my breath...
Now that I've done MUCH complaining, there are many things for which I can be thankful:
1. We are all alive!
2. None of this happened while mom and dad were in Cayman.
3. Grandma Yount is between jobs and was able to help us for a couple of days.
4. All of the meds have had generic substitues, two of them being $4 WalMart drugs!
There is more, but I need to finish tidying my house while the kids are quiet. HA!

Update

I'm sorry I didn't keep everyone informed about Kaitlynn's progress. Things became rather busy, and it just didn't get done! She was discharged from the hospital around 5:30 Monday evening. Her heart rate was in the 80's, temp was down, and she was taking fluids orally. At home now her heart rate is back up around 120 at rest, and her temp spikes every few hours. I am taking the boys to the dr in about 20 minutes, so we will see what goes there. They don't seem really sick, but I'm nervous. I'm going to ask about Kaitlynn's current condition while I'm there. Knock on wood, Allison seems healthy as can be. My Grandma Yount came from Cincinnati on Monday to help me. She was with Allison, Kaitlynn and I at the hospital, then watched both of them while I ran errands Tuesday afternoon. Kaitlynn spent the night with her last night, as I am at school today (for a few minutes).
Please continue to pray. We're definitely not out of the woods yet!