From Winter 2009

End of the Year

Well, it seems we have made it through another year in the Great Midwest.
We are all a year older. We are all (except Kristi) a bit more gravitational. We have all increased our acquired immunity against various pathogens.

Jan is enjoying dance classes at the local community center again this year. She also has weekly horse lessons at a local Christian stables (I say Horse lessons, because they teach her care and grooming of the horse, not just riding on it's back). I don't know if she has been taught falling lessons yet, but I would have benefited from those more than the riding part when I was her age... We will see if we can include that. Jan is quite the reader now, devouring all sorts of literary works and classics. Usually we have to separate her from the pages in order to have anything that resembles meaningful conversation with her. She is quite helpful and responsive, and we are scheming on how to distill this quality and put it in the Carne water.

Alec is now about 6 and a half. He is pretty much living from weekend to weekend these days, and whenever I get home from work, I feel like a sportscaster getting the show prep from his personal assistant. Typical interaction when I walk in the door is something like the following: "Hi Alec, how are you?" "Good, hey Dad, did you know the Saints lost to the Cowboys?" "The Cowboys weren't supposed to win, but they did. I think the Saints aren't as good as they were before. Do you think the Vikings will win tonight? The Carolina Panthers only lost to the Patriots by 3 points last week, so they are a pretty tough team..." If I ever go to a sports bar, I will make sure I spend some time with my son first, so I can talk intelligently to "the guys." He is still a pretty funny guy, and seems to be quick to see the humor in circumstances. He is much more interested in reading now, and I think it is only so he can read the Box Score for weekend football games, but I guess that works for now. He had a good year playing flag football, and did quite well. He enjoys doing school, like Jan does, and is really looking forward to a good layer of snow. I have a feeling we will be playing football in the snow this year.

Anne is much more of a warm weather girl. Her eczema is much better during the summer months. She looked really good a week or so ago, when she had been vomiting and not eating for a few days.... Cleared right up. At least we are not having to refill our prescription for the Epi Pen, so that is good. She is still very much the loner, and although she does enjoy "playing" with Pati, she mostly prefers to do her own thing. She is a big helper in the Kitchen, and very detail oriented (compared with the rest of us). She likes horses, cowboys, indians, and eating the really yummy gluten-free scones that Kristi makes for her. She also really enjoys Friday School, and does well.

From Winter 2009

Pati "goanya" is the Mommy Princess. She is the star of her Sunday School class (I think because she is the only 2 year old who can hold an intelligent conversation with the workers there), thorn in her siblings' sides, constant cheerful and persistent presence in our lives. She loves to dress up. She is incredibly opinionated, and seems to have somewhat expensive tastes. School is also a highlight for her, and like Alec she seems to have a pretty good sense of humor. If we would just get out of her way, she would completely remodel our lives into something Disney, I am sure.

Kristi is still working magic. Somehow she keeps the house in working order, the kids learning and looking well-kept, and seems to be able to smile when I see her every once in a while... I think if I was her I would have no hair left, be well known to CSD, and most likely on some SSRI for depression. She is in the thick of Christmas, with her much anticipated Christmas Bread being distributed to my attendings at the hospital, Tomato Juice Bread is currently in the oven, and everyone has way too many Christmas presents as she has been responsibly getting deals for everyone's Christmas since last Christmas.

I have been pretty busy still... But at least I am closer to something, I suppose, or at least that is what I tell myself. I have a year an a half remaining in residency here. I am finishing up about 7 or 8 months of being on the Vascular and Thoracic Surgery service, where I have been doing lots of operating, and lots of the operations I am more and more involved in, to the point that if I had to, I could complete most of the surgeries myself... Good thing I don't have to, eh? I am pretty fed up with Trauma now, and am daily more and more appreciative that I did not choose Emergency Medicine as my chosen specialty (no offense colleagues). I guess I just don't appreciate drunken, naked, combative citizens cussing me out, bleeding on me, and swearing they will do bad things to me and my professional colleagues for trying to help them; well, not at 2am anyhow. I guess if was during business hours I might have a bit more tolerance. We are thinking of moving back to Oregon when we are done here, but I haven't really started searching places in earnest... Ohio is great an all, but we really miss the friendliness, efficiency, and diversity in both people and scenery that Oregon provides us. Oh, I suppose we would like to be closer to family and friends, as well. I will start the process of looking for a real job this coming Spring and Summer, most likely. Spare time is more and more spent studying as I have been feeling a lot of pressure to get smarter so I can pass my boards coming up here in a bit less than two years.
Overall, we are satisfied with where we are at the moment. We are very grateful to the Lord for putting us here, and allowing us to know wonderful Christian people here like the Holsenbacks (Emergency Room Physicians who are in the process of going to Mali to be missionary medics). Our spiritual teaching at our current church (Parkside) is fantastic. Our family back home are incredibly supportive and spoil us rotten, and even visit once in a while.
We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and are encouraged to do right this coming year. We hope to see and or hear from you as well. I will do my best to keep a few pictures coming your way, and look forward to hearing what you all are up to and learning.

David

ps. go ducks.

Aunt and Uncle

From Winter 2009

Uncle Titus and Aunt Kaytra just left after ten fun days at our house. We miss them.

Leaves Are Gone

From Fall 2009

From Fall 2009

The leaves are gone now, but they were very beautiful this year. It was the warmest fall we have had since moving here, we just have been so busy outside raking leaves and hiking and playing football and Black Panther that we haven't posted on here for awhile.

From Fall 2009

We haven't even posted about My Mom and Sieglinde Kolberg coming out in late September/early October for the Akron Marathon. Sieglinde ran the whole thing, David ran the half marathon and I got to run the 8 mile leg of the marathon relay. Mom supervised the kids at the kids run!

From Fall 2009

Alec finished up flag football in October and is looking forward to next year. I don't have pictures off the camera yet, but Titus and Kaytra came for Thanksgiving this year and we got to play some flag football with them on Thanksgiving Day. It was a highlight for Alec.

From Fall 2009

From Fall 2009

Anne has been trying out the community ballet class on Saturday mornings. She almost floats as she walks into class. It is wonderful to be four.

From Fall 2009

From Fall 2009

This is a horse named Regal that Jan got to ride last month.

From Fall 2009

Three little stinkers waiting around in the barn for Jan to be done riding. They all get to help with grooming the horses and once in awhile Miss Jenni the teacher gets out the miniature pony and they all groom him and Jan leads him while the younger kids get to ride. God's provision for these riding lessons has been amazing. It is fun to get to hang around for an hour or two in the barn a couple times a month since we are stuck living in town. Nice to hug and pet horses and chase cats and scoop horse poop. We don't have any practical way to have a pet other than a goldfish so the trips out to the barn are really fun.

Christmas is here. We have been doing Advent for almost a week already! David is home for the day (!) and if we can get him enough rest in the first part of the day, we are hoping to get out and find a tree this afternoon.

Being in a cold horse barn and then thinking about my sister giving birth to my new nephew yesterday, I am struck with the reality of camping out in a stable to deliver your first baby. Not very fun at all. All those pictures of smiling animals gathered around a glowing Mary and Jesus in a cozy looking stable just can't be much of what it was like.

Do we Mom?

From September 2009

Pati had a rough night last night. David was home and she wasn't able to get away with the things that a two year old can get away with when there is just one adult in the house. In the half hour before bed she lost her very necessary princess dress up shirt (screaming and whining cause you to loose things when an adult can get there fast enough to figure out who was screaming and whining) and the rest of her dessert (the long standing rule is that when you mess around at the table, or actually get down and mess around away from the table, you must be done eating). She failed to notice that Dad was right there handy...
I put her into bed and she asked me "Do we love Daddy Mom?" I didn't realize at first that she was seriously asking. I smiled and said "Yes, we do!" She frowned and looked uncertain. I said, "Pati, do you love Daddy?" Her lip puckered up and she shook her head and said "No, I not love Daddy." She did change her mind a few minutes later after talking it over with him. Even though he still wouldn't give back the dress up shirt.

Fall has been beautiful here and we have made time for a little hiking.

From September 2009

It has been warmish enough to be outside many days and we are trying to take advantage of that.

From September 2009

Friday school tomorrow and I still have some work to do for science class. We mixed together sand and Plaster of Paris and sterilized chicken bones and the kids in my class get to play at being paleontologists. I hope the chicken bones don't just break into pieces, that they are really able to get some whole bones out! Fridays are fun but we are all glad when the day is over, it is a long day, and it wears us out. The last class of the day for Jan and Alec is chess. The first thing they do when they come through the door at home is drop their backpacks and pull out their chessboard. I don't know if they are getting better, but they are sure interested.

He's my friend

From September 2009

The dashboard of our Toyota has had three different lights that come on and go off for no reason that I could see and we were overdue for an oil change. When we first moved here I took my car in to have the tires rotated and balanced and the kids and I waited for three hours. (I had no idea I would miss Les Schwab so much!) I was outraged and everyone seemed mystified by my frustration. Now I understand why. I am finally resigned to spending three hours waiting when I take my car in for an oil change. Today it took a little over four hours to have the car taken care of. We finished schoolwork way too fast. It often doesn't work out this way but all four of the children were so good for all of the hours that we were there stuck in such a cramped boring place. We tried to walk somewhere but were surrounded by freeways. It was a beautiful day so we sat on a bench outside and tried to be relatively quiet together. I had been dreading this day but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We had a good time together, wishing that we could go home.
On the way home we were listening to Patch the Pirate (again). I was thinking my own thoughts. Ohio has been a great place for us to be in many ways. It has also been a pretty lonely place. I expected fitting in and developing relationships to take time when I moved here. We are three and a half years into it now. I thought that this year would be easier in that respect. It has been the opposite. With less than two years to go here I am losing the heart to try anymore. In the background I heard Lightning the Mule singing:
"Jesus loves me, He's my friend,
Of His goodness, there's no end.
On His mercy I depend.
Jesus loves me, He's my friend."

I don't mean to trivialize Who He is, or be too familiar. I see Him as holy and unfathomable. But I was ministered to by that song as I meditated on God's love for me, how He has been and is the friend that I need.

From September 2009

Jan participated in the Akron Kids Triathlon last weekend. She did great. There are so many unknowns involved in being apart of something like that. As a seven year old I don't think there is any way that I would have been willing to get out of my comfort zone the way she did. I was proud of her. They swam 100 yards, biked 3.5 miles and ran 1/2 mile. She took it all in stride and figured it out and is looking forward to next year.

From September 2009

From September 2009

From September 2009

It nearly killed Alec to just watch it all. There were more female participants than male ones. The girls seemed much more intent on HOW to do it all than they were on doing anything very FAST. Alec is pretty competitive and likes physical exercise just for the joy of wearing himself out. He is counting the days until next year when he will be old enough to try the triathlon.

From September 2009

Alec has had two football games and made a touchdown in both of them. Until the middle of October he has one game and one practice a week. I think it is his favorite time of year. Whenever he has free time you can see him out in the yard sprinting around with a football like there is a crowd of flag pulling bullies hot on his heels.

Back to School

 

Suddenly it is in the 40's at night and we are shivering in our summer clothes. Time to get out the winter things. The cooler air feels wonderful but in the back of my mind I know that once we get out the fleeces and hats and mittens they will be here for the next 9 months. May is so far away! We have officially started the school year and are loving it. The children just love to learn and that is what is making it so much fun. I am sure that soon our excitement will wear down and it will seem more like work, but right now it is like playing. Instead of letting the year stretch out forever in front of us I realized that I need a shorter picture to work with. I am taking it month by month and setting small goals for each month. At the end of the school year I tried to remember the year and document all that we did and saw and learned. I was amazed at how much we had done. I started to see how much I needed the encouragement of documenting what we are doing month by month. Nothing fancy, just a file on the counter for the three oldest ones to put in special papers and projects as they finish them this month, along with any special trips or lessons or discoveries. I have a list so that I can write down every book they read themselves and another list of books that that they are read by an adult. So much that I am involved with has very little sense of accomplishment attatched to it. Laundry, dishes, meals, housecleaning, errands...they all have to be done again soon. Taking a tiny bit of time to make a note of what we are doing has been such an encouragement and given a sense of accomplishment.

The Clubhouse

 

This is the house that Grandpa Copper built. These are the people who live in the house. My parents were able to come and visit in July and in the last three days of their visit Grandpa and the children worked in the backyard on this clubhouse. They love having a place where they can keep and arrange their important things that aren't appreciated much in the house (baby snake skeletons, cicada bug shells, dead butterflies, pine cones, beautiful rocks, cowboy paraphenalia, pop guns, to name a few of them). This house is a dream come true for my two oldest children. It has renewed their relationship with some of the neighbor children who are several years older than the Carne kids and often have been too busy and important to play with them! Not any more.
We had to paint it after Grandpa and Grandma left since the finishing touches were put on before the trip to take them to the airport. It was hard to choose a color. We were afraid that it was going to be bright pink instead of red but with the second coat it relieved us all by drying dark and really being red. (The possibility of a pink clubhouse was just a little bit horrifying.) The children helped paint and it was fun, and not as messy as I thought it would be.
No one has camped out there yet, but they are working up their courage and maybe they will do it next year.
I need to post some pictures of 2 birthdays that we have had and the last pictures of swimming at the lake, but I will save that for another time.

Of Urine and Quarterbacks

From July 2009

As you may surmise from the title of this post, I have been fortunate to have had some contact, both direct and indirect, with my children. This summer has been much more like a Pacific Northwest summer for us here in Ohio, that is Dry and Pleasant. Only just recently have we had hot and humid make our acquaintance.
Jan has been reading like a nun, and we usually have to intervene physically between her eyes and whatever current page she is on to ask her anything that we might expect a reply of. She also has been training for a triathlon, which will be in a few weeks and is designed for kids (100M swim, 3 mile bike, 1 mile run). Kristi and the children have been frequenting a local lake, which is the ideal place to train for such an event, as it has a long swim lane, and a road around the lake which provides the opportunity for biking and running. She has also been afforded the luxury of royalty in the form of weekly riding lessons on various steeds at a local stables (the western variety, not the snooty equestrian variety). This week we are very excited as we anticipate our first episode of cantering. I believe our trot calluses are thick enough now.
Alec has enjoyed becoming a guy. He enjoys shooting hoops in the driveway with a basket "stolen" with the blessings of one our neighbors. He also finds great enjoyment in inciting a variety of somewhat predictable responses from his three sisters, and they rarely disappoint. He is quite coordinated still, and has played a bit of baseball with some local homeschoolers, and now has once again begun his most cherished sport of american football on the 5-6 yo flag team. He is very serious about it, and has earned the reputation along with Chance as one of the two fastest players, so they often share the ball-carrying and flag-pulling duties. This is where you all get to hear one of his many memorable quotes, relayed to me by my wife the other day in the form of an email while I was on call. "Mom, I know why quarterbacks make so much money.... It's because they have to touch bottoms." Once a follow-up question was addressed, we learned that quarterbacks have to feel bottoms so they know where the ball will be hiked, and because of this duty they perform, they are generously reimbursed.
Anne is still very much the loner. She does like to do her own thing, and seems to be quite aware of her surroundings as she has recently become a 4 year old. Much to her delight she received a new pair of authentic cowgirl boots from cowboy country from her grandfather in Central Oregon, and along with her new stick horse and sidearm very much enjoys her own rides and adventures on stickhorseback.
Pati is more and more the life of the party, the host of the party, and the pooper of the party. Very much the CEO if we would just get out of her way, she is in constant opposition to the encouragement of others to proceed in any specific way. I suppose that is what her somewhat unopinionated parents get, but there is nearly constant friction, and I suppose she will allow us to enjoy all sorts of events, companies, and trips and products, once she becomes of an age to afford her the benefit of our doubt. She is quite happy, in spite of us making her do what we want most of the time, and loves to have fun, and seems to find plenty of it. I am afraid she will need to procure gainful employment pretty soon, as she is already developing the most expensive tastes I have ever seen in a 2 year old. We are already praying for her life partner, and for their employment as well.

Kristi has been incredibly busy this year, and we were talking about this today on the way to or back from our new church in Cleveland called Parkside. She realized she has been unable to use the excuse of a nursing baby as the need to stay away from all sorts of activity, so we have been much more busy this summer travelling to all sorts of activities. These travels are balanced out by at least one or two bathroom visits each 20 min, so at least we don't have to get decubitus sores from inactivity at any point in our daily activity and travels.

Work at the hospital has been very busy for me this year, and it doesn't seem to slow down at all... in fact perhaps the opposite. At least I am over 3/5 done now, and am at the place where I perform much more of the operating duties, and am operating more. When on the service, I am chief of the service from now on, and am allowed to enjoy a bit more comradery with my attending physicians. I still don't get much time away from work, even when I am home, and feel more pressure to study and read and work on projects that I need to get done before my time is up. At the hospital there is very rarely down time, and we are still understaffed with more work than we have ever had, so balance and time management is always a challenge, and we never seem able to make anyone happy, but we still try to please everyone.

I hope you are well this summer, you enjoy time with family and closeness with God that you haven't experienced before. If you ever come this way, give us a visit. Call or write us as you are able, we would love to hear from you.

Servant in Training,
David

Independence Day

From July 2009

On our way to ride horses in our little neighborhood parade. After a week of cold temperatures, grey skies and rain, Saturday was a beautiful day for walking in a parade. It was fun to talk with the children about Independence Day and all the freedoms we enjoy that many people don't.

Good Times

From May 2009

After really doing school it has been our first summer to fully appreciate and celebrate being out of school! We have taken on different classrooms than the dining room or the kitchen table and been able to head out of doors. One of the great things about Ohio is the change in the seasons - they are so different from each other. I have always loved the summertime but here I marvel everyday during the summer that we can be outside in bare feet, that it is warm.

There is a metro park here that has a great lake for swimming in the summer. We have been there quite alot this year already. All three of the big kids swim out to the dock and spend hours jumping off. Pati jumps off too, just not without me. We pack a sparse kind of lunch (who cares about food when you can swim?) and towels and stay out for hours.

From May 2009

Grandpa and Grandma Carne came out for several days and we had such fun getting to spend time with them. We were sad to see them go.

From May 2009

Jan received a gift from some friends of horseback riding lessons at a western sort of farm. She has had two lessons so far and thinks it is the best thing that has ever happened to her.

From May 2009

When David had a vacation the first week of June we took a quick car trip to Washington DC. We were really only there for a day and a half, but it was a great time for us as a family. Because we were driving and staying one night at a hotel the kids were a little disappointed when we did not get into the hotel swimming pool right away when we arrived, but instead headed to the National Mall to see a few things before it got dark. They really did think that we had driven 8 hours to swim in the hotel pool.

From Washington DC

Riding the subway helped make up for putting off the swimming. I do think that the subway was Alec's favorite part.

From Washington DC

From Washington DC

This was us outside of the National Museum of Art ...where we couldn't stay very long because "Mom, they aren't wearing any clothes!" "And neither are they!" "Why is everybody naked?" We had escaped into the Art Museum on our way to the Museum of American History. It had been a long walk and it was really hot outside. The Art Museum looked so air conditioned.

From Washington DC

From Washington DC

Eating lunch on the National Mall. We got to watch a pick up soccer game out on the grass while we ate.

From Washington DC

From Washington DC

From Washington DC

Now that we are back home it is hard to believe we were really there. Tomorrow is the fourth of July and we have things to decorate for our neighborhood parade. The kids decided that they would rather ride their stick horses than their bikes in the parade this year. The best part is that David gets to be home tomorrow for all of the excitement.

Award

There have been a round of dinners and graduations and award ceremonies that have felt a little strange here. This is the first year that we have really paid attention to them. I think it is because nearly everyone that has been graduating from various residency programs this year all came in as interns when David did. But they are done. David has two more years. It kind of hit us both a little hard - we could be done - but we aren't. A three year residency is pretty standard for many areas of medicine, but not surgery.
Last night we went to the Children's Hospital graduation dinner. David spent several months at that Hospital as a third year and he worked very hard. He always works really hard, the difference this time was that people noticed! He was invited to the graduation dinner because they awarded him the Outstanding Surgical Resident Of the Year award. I was just happy to see him being recognized for what I already knew :)
In July David officially starts his fourth year and I like to think that in not too long we will be done too. It isn't that I want the time to pass and be gone, I am just hopeful that in a couple of years he will actually get to come home for dinner and see the kids for more than an hour or two each week. I read blogs where people complain about their spouse working a 60 hour week, or they celebrate the weekend and Thank God for Fridays or Sundays or holidays and I struggle with where God has put us as I look at 120 hour work weeks and years of holidays and weekends that are absolutely no different than any other day. We won't see David, just like yesterday and the day before that and the day before that.
This morning he was up at 4:00 and probably will not be home until 8:00 tonight. This weekend is different, he doesn't have to go to work on Saturday, but he has been averaging 4 hours of sleep every night so he will need to spend much of the day sleeping since he goes in for a 30+ hour shift on Sunday. One of the things people told us during medical school was that actually working was better than studying for school because when you are done at work you are really done, you don't have to be studying. That has not proven to be true. The pressure is never gone, you can never study enough, and you can't ever catch up. Any relaxation is stolen from something that you feel you ought to be doing.
I am not sure of how David handles the pressure. I was counting up the times I have taken our kids to the ER since we moved here three years ago. There have been seven times (One broken open head, one finger stuck in a long metal band, one new baby with RSV, one anyphlactic reaction, twice for croup, one bottle of benadryl drunk)and David has not been available for any of them. He was able to get off of work for an hour to meet me down there when Pati went in with RSV as a new baby. He was on call at three different hospitals those two nights Pati was in the hospital and he wore himself out walking and driving all over town to answer calls and then to lay down on the floor by Pati's bed for a few minutes before the next call would come. Instead of going home to bed he shows up at the kids soccer games after being at the hospital for 30 hours. All that to say that not only are there unreasonable demands from work and study but we make unreasonable demands on him from home too.
I think he deserves much more than the little plaque he received last night, but I was pleased and proud to see him receive it.

Trip home

From Carne Photo Shoot

I like this picture of David and me together. Doesn't happen much these days. From Monday last week to Monday tomorrow he will have worked 120 hours...he doesn't get a day off until the next Monday. All he has time to do when he gets home is shower, eat something and go to sleep. He keeps a good attitude and perspective, but you can't get around being tired. We sure miss him.
Alec was up most all night with asthma coughing last night and this morning I was supposed to teach the 3 year olds Sunday school class. For some irrational reason I kept thinking that it would just work out - I hate to disappoint the girls who were all dressed and ready for church early this morning. Going to church makes Sundays go so much faster when David isn't coming home too. I finally realized that I could not wake that pooor boy who was finally sleeping soundly without coughing so I called someone who took my girls and my class. It was nice to have a quiet hour this morning. I wanted to sleep but cleaning up some serious mess without having more mess made as I was doing it won. I downloaded Allistair Begg's series on Contentment and listened (without interruption) while I worked. It was a good message and a timely one for me. The text was from I Timothy 6: "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, with this we will be content."

From Carne Photo Shoot

I finished most of my chores and the sermon, ignored the many many loads of laundry waiting to be folded in the living room and just lay down on the floor next to it since Alec was sleeping in my room. I am not joking - the MOMENT I lay my head down I heard a door open and the sound of small feet on the floor. He is feeling better today and we are hoping for sleep tonight.

At the end of April, beginning of May we made the trip out to the NW. Sure fun to fly into Portland on a clear day and see all of the mountains. The kids and I went first and David had to work a few more days and then drop in on a wedding Texas before he was free to come too. He had several days with us before he had to fly back to Ohio. It was alot of fun to see family and friends and this time even the place itself was refreshing to us. The cousins had lots of days and good times together.

From April 2009

From April 2009

From April 2009

We have more pictures of all the cousins but I can't find them right now...

I feel so blessed to be apart of the Copper and the Carne and the Taylor families. Anne and Pati and I came back 5 days before Jan and Alec came back with Kaytra. It was so much fun to have my sister for a visit. I hope she comes back soon.

From April 2009

This was Anne getting in some time with David on vacation. The day before he left work they assigned him a research paper that he had to present when he got back...he spent alot of hours on that project during vacation!

From April 2009

We came back to some good weather and it is so great to get to be outside!

Spring

From March 2009

From March 2009

From March 2009

We had 4 or 5 inches of snow this last week but it is gone and we think that winter has lost its grip. The snowsuits are in the basement. We have been eating outside and playing soccer on Saturday mornings even though it is often in the 30's. It is nice to be outside more.

Today is Easter Sunday. I took pictures of the kids this morning in all of their Easter finery, next to the cross that they made out of the trunk of our Christmas tree. But the pictures are still in the camera so they will get posted later. This was the first year that we didn't hunt eggs in the snow. We even had some flowers in the yard to decorate the cross with.

Several years ago one of David's friends gave us an Easter book for children. This year for over a month we read it most nights before bed. There are 36 short chapters in all. The book covers in detail the last several days of Jesus' life and then has some chapters about after His resurrection. The book is called "Journey to the Cross" by Helen Haidle. We learned so much and the kids really entered into the meaning of Easter. All during the day on Friday they kept asking, "Hey Mom, what was happening NOW?" They wanted to walk through the day and know when He was beaten, when He most likely was nailed to the cross, when darkness fell, when He died and the curtain was torn. I learned and understood much more than I knew before and we are already looking forward to reading it next year. David was home for several hours yesterday but couldn't be here today. We saved him some pie for tomorrow. Not quite a week and then he gets several days of vacation!

Our Lake

Last week we had a water problem.

From March 2009

It isn't fixed yet, but it has finally drained with the help of two sump pumps and a semi clogged drain. It isn't supposed to rain for a day or two. We are working on a permanent solution. Our backyard has always had a small pond when we have very wet weather. But this time the drain in place barely worked and after two days of heavy rain we had an estimated 20,000 gallons of water in the backyard, a foot from the house. Our good friends from down the street came over and set up a large sump pump otherwise it might still be draining back there.

This is Pati not worrying at all about the water. Unlike me, who had trouble sleeping one of the nights when more rain was predicted.

From March 2009

David had his first weekend off since Christmastime. It was really wonderful and I think he might have gotten enough rest to finally start to get rid of the cold that he has had for a month. The weather was nice enough to get out for a bike ride and to feed some birds.

From March 2009

From March 2009

From March 2009

From March 2009

It was a good weekend.