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Grandpa and Grandma got Maggie
this craft for her birthday. She worked
hard at it, and you can see her happy
results below!
this craft for her birthday. She worked
hard at it, and you can see her happy
results below!
Here are Maggie and Eden after a play
make up session. Then Maggie was
teaching Eden some yoga moves.
make up session. Then Maggie was
teaching Eden some yoga moves.
The Greensboro Children's Museum
Here are Silas and Eden in the Theater which
had a stage, sound and light effects to control,
tons of dress up stuff, a puppet stage with lots
of puppets, and musical instruments to pretend
with..
had a stage, sound and light effects to control,
tons of dress up stuff, a puppet stage with lots
of puppets, and musical instruments to pretend
with..
The doctor area had smocks and
many items to play doctor with, lots of
displays, a dentist area with models
and a dentist chair, and a baby area
with cribs and dollies and everything
baby.
many items to play doctor with, lots of
displays, a dentist area with models
and a dentist chair, and a baby area
with cribs and dollies and everything
baby.
The construction area was very cool,
and showed how a house was made,
with cut aways to show how walls and
floors and roofs were made. There
was a lot of construction toys and big
building blocks to play with, trucks and
construction equipment too.
and showed how a house was made,
with cut aways to show how walls and
floors and roofs were made. There
was a lot of construction toys and big
building blocks to play with, trucks and
construction equipment too.
Maggie and Eden spent a long while
here. It was a little farm house
kitchen, with lots of play food and
kitchen items to use and play with
and aprons to wear, flowers to
arrange, and outside the house a
play chicken coop. Maggie and
Eden spent a long time arranging a
feeding the stuffed chickens, and
collecting their plastic eggs in little
egg baskets to bring into the kitchen
for lunch.
here. It was a little farm house
kitchen, with lots of play food and
kitchen items to use and play with
and aprons to wear, flowers to
arrange, and outside the house a
play chicken coop. Maggie and
Eden spent a long time arranging a
feeding the stuffed chickens, and
collecting their plastic eggs in little
egg baskets to bring into the kitchen
for lunch.
This area had a rock climbing wall and a many other play
items, hula hoops, climbing and creative building toys.
items, hula hoops, climbing and creative building toys.
Here is a race car to sit in
and pretend to drive, and
then they could gas it up
and check the tires and do
other things with it.
and pretend to drive, and
then they could gas it up
and check the tires and do
other things with it.
The airplane was very cool. They
could climb up into the cockpit of a jet,
wiht lots of buttons and switches to
push and flip, and wear a pilot's hat.
There was a luggage area with a
conveyor belt, and a slide to slide
down out of the plane.
could climb up into the cockpit of a jet,
wiht lots of buttons and switches to
push and flip, and wear a pilot's hat.
There was a luggage area with a
conveyor belt, and a slide to slide
down out of the plane.
Here Maggie is
driving a
Greensboro
police car with
Canaan
incarcerated in
the back seat.
Hopefully this
will be the only
time I see
Canaan in a
police car!
driving a
Greensboro
police car with
Canaan
incarcerated in
the back seat.
Hopefully this
will be the only
time I see
Canaan in a
police car!
At the firetruck you could dress up in
total fireman gear, and drive the truck,
play with the hose, and switch the lever
and buttons.
total fireman gear, and drive the truck,
play with the hose, and switch the lever
and buttons.
The market area was very impressive
with tons of play food and packages,
little grocery carts, a deli section and
bakery section, and two cash registers
where kids could check out their
customer's groceries.
with tons of play food and packages,
little grocery carts, a deli section and
bakery section, and two cash registers
where kids could check out their
customer's groceries.
Hannah and Canaan goofing off
at the bakery.
at the bakery.
And here is the play pizza parlor, with
tables, menus, play pizzas, an oven and
kitchen, and cash register with money.
tables, menus, play pizzas, an oven and
kitchen, and cash register with money.
Jordan played make up with
the little kids, and Isaac
wanted some. Jordan got
creative.
the little kids, and Isaac
wanted some. Jordan got
creative.
Jordan tried out cutting Canaan's
hair. I usually do it, but she was
trying to help me out. It turned out
pretty good, although I think shorter
than he wanted.
hair. I usually do it, but she was
trying to help me out. It turned out
pretty good, although I think shorter
than he wanted.
The finished product,
and my two handsome
men. Be still my
heart...
and my two handsome
men. Be still my
heart...
02-05-09 Update
First of all, we are so excited that Hannah has submitted a design
to Threadless.com! Her submission is the design to the left.
Threadless is a site that artists submit tee shirt designs to, and
they are voted on and judged. Each week one design is selected
to be used on a shirt to be sold. Hannah actually has not
submitted her design for judging yet, but to the first stage of being
critiqued by other artists and anyone who wants to give their
opinion. Then she can adjust her design if necessary, and
officially submit her design for judging. Hannah has so many
beautiful computer creations and other artwork that she has
produced over the years. We chose the cheetah because it is a
favorite. But once we see how it does, she intends to submit
some more designs. She is having a lot of fun with her new
Adobe Illustrator program that she bought last month. It is an
amazing program and she is going to get a lot of use out of it.
On an even more exciting note, Art actually has some work lined
up for next week! We are so thankful!! This is a one week project,
actually finishing up a project that was started last fall. He
completed six weeks at home, with the seventh week to be
completed in Chicago. Initially they had planned for him to go up
the beginning of December, then it was January, and soon I was
wondering if they were going to do it at all. But early this week
they told him they would like him there on Monday for five days!!
This is wonderful. Also, he has another small project that he is
working on that will provide a few more hours of work. There are
a few promising opportunities in the works that people are
deciding on and proceeding with slowly. But we are praying that if
even a couple of them materialize, we will be able to make do.
So, this was very encouraging news!
First of all, we are so excited that Hannah has submitted a design
to Threadless.com! Her submission is the design to the left.
Threadless is a site that artists submit tee shirt designs to, and
they are voted on and judged. Each week one design is selected
to be used on a shirt to be sold. Hannah actually has not
submitted her design for judging yet, but to the first stage of being
critiqued by other artists and anyone who wants to give their
opinion. Then she can adjust her design if necessary, and
officially submit her design for judging. Hannah has so many
beautiful computer creations and other artwork that she has
produced over the years. We chose the cheetah because it is a
favorite. But once we see how it does, she intends to submit
some more designs. She is having a lot of fun with her new
Adobe Illustrator program that she bought last month. It is an
amazing program and she is going to get a lot of use out of it.
On an even more exciting note, Art actually has some work lined
up for next week! We are so thankful!! This is a one week project,
actually finishing up a project that was started last fall. He
completed six weeks at home, with the seventh week to be
completed in Chicago. Initially they had planned for him to go up
the beginning of December, then it was January, and soon I was
wondering if they were going to do it at all. But early this week
they told him they would like him there on Monday for five days!!
This is wonderful. Also, he has another small project that he is
working on that will provide a few more hours of work. There are
a few promising opportunities in the works that people are
deciding on and proceeding with slowly. But we are praying that if
even a couple of them materialize, we will be able to make do.
So, this was very encouraging news!
Another great thing was that we became members of our church last Sunday. I had actually decided that I had pretty much given up
on church, and was not even considering becoming a member anywhere. We have struggled for years with finding a church, and
have seen many sad things over the years, everything from corruption and betrayal, to people who meant well but just have
everything confused, and their focus wrong. I know that it must break God's heart to see how much people have screwed up what
church is supposed to be. And I know that there are so many people who are turned off of church because of these things. I have
met very good, God-fearing families who actually got to the point of deciding to just stay home and have their own church at home. I
understood that, and believe me, this was tempting, but in the long run, Art and I had to admit that we really didn't think this was what
God wanted our family to do. God invented "church" and He thinks it's a good idea. It's not His fault that so many people have
screwed it up. We had to keep trying. With all the very difficult things that have happened to our family since we have come to North
Carolina, I desperately wanted to connect with some people who would be encouraging. Inevitably there would be more times in our
lives that would be difficult, and I also knew there were people out there who were going through hard things that I had been through
and could offer encouragement to them too. How would we ever find each other? When reading the Bible, it seems pretty clear that
God wanted church to be a place where we would support each other, share with each other, encourage each other, where we
could talk to each other about the good and bad things going on in our lives, and pray for each other, joining together to praise God,
and to bring Him our problems too. It wasn't supposed to be a place where we would walk in once a week, barely talk to anyone, sit
and listen to someone telling us for an hour that we should be ashamed of ourselves and should give more money, and then walk
out feeling even more depleted and discouraged than we were when we went in. Last fall I pleaded with God to show us where to
go. We almost did not visit this church, because I thought it was too far away for us. But Art loaded us all in the car that Sunday
morning and we went. Lawndale Baptist is not a perfect church, and if it was, it certainly isn't now that we are members there! But
they just have so many things right. My little ones come home happy and singing songs, Every week I leave very encouraged and
challenged. And the people have been more than friendly, showing true Christian love. I don't know what the future will bring. We
have had times in the past where I thought we had found a good fit of a church, and then were disappointed for one reason or
another. But we are very encouraged now. The pastor of this church is incredible, and I always love to listen to him. This is what
we needed, and we are so thankful that God has brought us here. We are excited about this. And on that subject, last night at
church dinner (I LOVE that they have Wed night dinners) Eden and Isaac's Sunday School teacher came to chat with the kids. At one
point she asked if we would be interested in helping out once a month in the children's dept during church. I had been thinking a lot
about wanting to get involved somehow. People who have known us for years know how much we have done in children's
ministries over the years. It is only since we have moved up here that we have not done much (for various reasons). I was itching to
get back to helping out somewhere, but also apprehensive about how much I could commit now (again for various reasons). I was
praying about this, and considering all the different areas where I might be able to do something. So when she asked us this, we
said once a month would certainly be fine. Then she said that the opening she has right now is for one Sunday a month with the
babies that are 6-12 months old! Those who know me well are smiling now. Babies! Oh, how I love the babies. And how rarely do
I get a baby fix anymore. On Superbowl Sunday we visited some good friends of ours, a family with 8 kids, and one is a nine month
old little guy who is just scrumptious. How wonderful it was to bounce him around, and smell his little soft baby smell. What a
lovely thing to be able to do once a month. I guess God knew that....
So these are exciting things that have happened this week. I have been encouraged, which is what I prayed for. I have been more
at peace, not because our circumstances have changed much, but I have really been praying a lot about not being afraid. I don't
know what is going to happen, but God does. I can't do anything about these things. But I can concentrate on the things that I CAN
do, like being the best wife and mother that I can be right now, and enjoying my kids as much as I can.
Matthew 6:34: "...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
How true!
This week Jordan was notified that her "scholarship" that was supposed to be for two years, is only going to cover one year because
they ran out of money. (like everyone else, right?) She is well into her classes now, and trying to balance work, full time school,
home life, and trying to make some social contacts etc. This news was not good. She is discouraged and concerned. These
things change so quickly. She learned of the scholarship quickly, and part of it was taken away quickly. Who knows what a year will
bring? Although it was a little discouraging, it is far too early to be "worried" about it. If this is what God wants her to do, then it will
happen, if she doesn't give up. And who has accomplished anything worthwhile that would say, "Oh, it was easy"? No, things that
are worthwhile almost always meet with obstacles in the road. What if we had given up when China told us that we couldn't adopt
Eden? Perish the thought! Oh my! Think of all the sheer JOY that we would have all missed out on!! Ha! (sometimes I think I
should listen to my own advice more.... hmmmm.....)
In "Health News", several of us have been getting over colds again, but it seems like we are all on the mend. This coming week
Eden goes to her annual Cleft Clinic, so we should have some updates about that. And Silas goes the following week for results on
the MRI on his back.
Thank you for your continued prayers for us.
on church, and was not even considering becoming a member anywhere. We have struggled for years with finding a church, and
have seen many sad things over the years, everything from corruption and betrayal, to people who meant well but just have
everything confused, and their focus wrong. I know that it must break God's heart to see how much people have screwed up what
church is supposed to be. And I know that there are so many people who are turned off of church because of these things. I have
met very good, God-fearing families who actually got to the point of deciding to just stay home and have their own church at home. I
understood that, and believe me, this was tempting, but in the long run, Art and I had to admit that we really didn't think this was what
God wanted our family to do. God invented "church" and He thinks it's a good idea. It's not His fault that so many people have
screwed it up. We had to keep trying. With all the very difficult things that have happened to our family since we have come to North
Carolina, I desperately wanted to connect with some people who would be encouraging. Inevitably there would be more times in our
lives that would be difficult, and I also knew there were people out there who were going through hard things that I had been through
and could offer encouragement to them too. How would we ever find each other? When reading the Bible, it seems pretty clear that
God wanted church to be a place where we would support each other, share with each other, encourage each other, where we
could talk to each other about the good and bad things going on in our lives, and pray for each other, joining together to praise God,
and to bring Him our problems too. It wasn't supposed to be a place where we would walk in once a week, barely talk to anyone, sit
and listen to someone telling us for an hour that we should be ashamed of ourselves and should give more money, and then walk
out feeling even more depleted and discouraged than we were when we went in. Last fall I pleaded with God to show us where to
go. We almost did not visit this church, because I thought it was too far away for us. But Art loaded us all in the car that Sunday
morning and we went. Lawndale Baptist is not a perfect church, and if it was, it certainly isn't now that we are members there! But
they just have so many things right. My little ones come home happy and singing songs, Every week I leave very encouraged and
challenged. And the people have been more than friendly, showing true Christian love. I don't know what the future will bring. We
have had times in the past where I thought we had found a good fit of a church, and then were disappointed for one reason or
another. But we are very encouraged now. The pastor of this church is incredible, and I always love to listen to him. This is what
we needed, and we are so thankful that God has brought us here. We are excited about this. And on that subject, last night at
church dinner (I LOVE that they have Wed night dinners) Eden and Isaac's Sunday School teacher came to chat with the kids. At one
point she asked if we would be interested in helping out once a month in the children's dept during church. I had been thinking a lot
about wanting to get involved somehow. People who have known us for years know how much we have done in children's
ministries over the years. It is only since we have moved up here that we have not done much (for various reasons). I was itching to
get back to helping out somewhere, but also apprehensive about how much I could commit now (again for various reasons). I was
praying about this, and considering all the different areas where I might be able to do something. So when she asked us this, we
said once a month would certainly be fine. Then she said that the opening she has right now is for one Sunday a month with the
babies that are 6-12 months old! Those who know me well are smiling now. Babies! Oh, how I love the babies. And how rarely do
I get a baby fix anymore. On Superbowl Sunday we visited some good friends of ours, a family with 8 kids, and one is a nine month
old little guy who is just scrumptious. How wonderful it was to bounce him around, and smell his little soft baby smell. What a
lovely thing to be able to do once a month. I guess God knew that....
So these are exciting things that have happened this week. I have been encouraged, which is what I prayed for. I have been more
at peace, not because our circumstances have changed much, but I have really been praying a lot about not being afraid. I don't
know what is going to happen, but God does. I can't do anything about these things. But I can concentrate on the things that I CAN
do, like being the best wife and mother that I can be right now, and enjoying my kids as much as I can.
Matthew 6:34: "...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
How true!
This week Jordan was notified that her "scholarship" that was supposed to be for two years, is only going to cover one year because
they ran out of money. (like everyone else, right?) She is well into her classes now, and trying to balance work, full time school,
home life, and trying to make some social contacts etc. This news was not good. She is discouraged and concerned. These
things change so quickly. She learned of the scholarship quickly, and part of it was taken away quickly. Who knows what a year will
bring? Although it was a little discouraging, it is far too early to be "worried" about it. If this is what God wants her to do, then it will
happen, if she doesn't give up. And who has accomplished anything worthwhile that would say, "Oh, it was easy"? No, things that
are worthwhile almost always meet with obstacles in the road. What if we had given up when China told us that we couldn't adopt
Eden? Perish the thought! Oh my! Think of all the sheer JOY that we would have all missed out on!! Ha! (sometimes I think I
should listen to my own advice more.... hmmmm.....)
In "Health News", several of us have been getting over colds again, but it seems like we are all on the mend. This coming week
Eden goes to her annual Cleft Clinic, so we should have some updates about that. And Silas goes the following week for results on
the MRI on his back.
Thank you for your continued prayers for us.
I liked these photos. A little homeschool
action. Here is a typical shot, of Jordan
out in the grass with the kids on a
beautiful day this week, and using a
learning moment. Learning moments are
all around us, and are best used when
they are not contrived. We make full use
of that concept in our Baker Un-School. I
love seeing rosy cheeked kids, learning,
loving each other, and interacting in such
a beautiful and natural setting.
action. Here is a typical shot, of Jordan
out in the grass with the kids on a
beautiful day this week, and using a
learning moment. Learning moments are
all around us, and are best used when
they are not contrived. We make full use
of that concept in our Baker Un-School. I
love seeing rosy cheeked kids, learning,
loving each other, and interacting in such
a beautiful and natural setting.
Valentine's Prep:
The finished
product.
product.
Valentine's Day!
I love watching the little guys do Wii Fit,
but Eden is especially entertaining to
watch. Here she is doing push ups!
but Eden is especially entertaining to
watch. Here she is doing push ups!
Heart shaped homemade yeast jelly
donuts!! Yum!!
donuts!! Yum!!
Running to Mr. Homer
and Mrs. Cindy's
house to bring
valentines and donuts.
and Mrs. Cindy's
house to bring
valentines and donuts.
02-15-09 Update:
This week Art was in Chicago and completed a week's worth of work! We are very thankful that they paid him right away and we have
our first income since early December. Sam's Club, here we come! There are some more contract opportunities in the works, so
please pray with us that some of them will work out, and we will have more work soon.
Meanwhile, Daddy came home just in time for Valentine's Day! It was a great day. Our family tradition has been to have a family
breakfast, with decorations, and little gifts for each person at their place. I was not sure what to do this year, since I didn't want to buy
anything. We did have some fun making Valentines and kiss cookies this week. I went in the garage and went through old boxes of
craft and scrapping supplies, and found lots of things I had forgotten I even had. The kids really got into it, and there was glitter and
stickers, and little bits of paper everywhere! By the end of the week, however, I had a full blown headache day, and not much good to
anyone. Not sure if it was sinus or migraine, but my theory was lack of touch from my Sweetie, but still, by Friday I was even worse,
with a splitting head, and lots of nausea. I already hadn't planned much for our Valentine morning, and now the little that I had
planned, I was feeling too awful to do! As with many things lately, I resigned myself to the fact that I can only do what I can do, and
however much that is, will be good enough for now, and better than nothing (yes, I stole that from you Gina, but I like it).
So, imagine my surprise on Saturday morning to wake up and find that my big kids had taken over the whole celebration! Canaan was
making homemade yeast donuts! He saw Alton Brown making them on Food Network, and decided to give it a try. Hannah helped by
finding the thermometer, and giving lots of comments as he tried to work. Jordan and Hannah decorated the whole table in
Baker-Layoff style! It was great. They went in the garage, and again, raided the craft supplies, looking for whatever they could use. I
had to laugh as I saw homemade streamers and hearts, and pipe cleaner designs, and the table covered in festvie confetti which, as I
looked more closely, turned out to be hundreds of tiny wiggle eyeballs. Canaan had bought little treats for everyone during the week,
and Jordan had made little gift bags for all the kids, and a big one for Art and I. The one for Art and I was filled with all sorts of useful
things that she had pilfered from around the house, including Art's wallet. ("I wanted to get you something you'd use every day" -- Alvin
Chipmunk) It was so great!
Then it was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we went outside and played with our neighbors who hooked up our kids with Valentine
baskets full of candy and toys. It was really fun. Later that night, when all the other couples were out battling crowds at restaurants, Art
used a Chili's gift card Granny and Pop had given us at Christmas, and got take out. The little ones were in bed, and the rest of us ate
Chili's goodies and watched the NBA slam dunk contest. It was one of the best Valentine's days I have ever had, spending all day with
all eight of my Valentines!!
Medical updates: Eden's Cleft Clinic check up went fine, although it was a long, boring day. She visited several doctors, and we
learned more about how they will take care of her palate in the coming years. They remarked that the hole in her mouth is just getting
bigger and bigger, but there is nothing anyone can do about it now. She sticks her hand and tongue in the hole, constantly widening it.
She does wear an obturator, but she can't wear it all the time, and a lot of damage was done before she got it. The bone graft surgery
will be done when she is six or so, and her permanent teeth start coming in, but the actual hole in her mouth will not be mended until
she is about nine or ten and can cooperate with the repair. The good news, however, is no surgery for Eden any time soon. Her
hearing was checked too, and has not gotten any better or worse.
Silas goes on Tuesday to Charlotte for the orthopedic surgeon to tell us the results of the MRI on his spine.
Thank you for your prayers.
This week Art was in Chicago and completed a week's worth of work! We are very thankful that they paid him right away and we have
our first income since early December. Sam's Club, here we come! There are some more contract opportunities in the works, so
please pray with us that some of them will work out, and we will have more work soon.
Meanwhile, Daddy came home just in time for Valentine's Day! It was a great day. Our family tradition has been to have a family
breakfast, with decorations, and little gifts for each person at their place. I was not sure what to do this year, since I didn't want to buy
anything. We did have some fun making Valentines and kiss cookies this week. I went in the garage and went through old boxes of
craft and scrapping supplies, and found lots of things I had forgotten I even had. The kids really got into it, and there was glitter and
stickers, and little bits of paper everywhere! By the end of the week, however, I had a full blown headache day, and not much good to
anyone. Not sure if it was sinus or migraine, but my theory was lack of touch from my Sweetie, but still, by Friday I was even worse,
with a splitting head, and lots of nausea. I already hadn't planned much for our Valentine morning, and now the little that I had
planned, I was feeling too awful to do! As with many things lately, I resigned myself to the fact that I can only do what I can do, and
however much that is, will be good enough for now, and better than nothing (yes, I stole that from you Gina, but I like it).
So, imagine my surprise on Saturday morning to wake up and find that my big kids had taken over the whole celebration! Canaan was
making homemade yeast donuts! He saw Alton Brown making them on Food Network, and decided to give it a try. Hannah helped by
finding the thermometer, and giving lots of comments as he tried to work. Jordan and Hannah decorated the whole table in
Baker-Layoff style! It was great. They went in the garage, and again, raided the craft supplies, looking for whatever they could use. I
had to laugh as I saw homemade streamers and hearts, and pipe cleaner designs, and the table covered in festvie confetti which, as I
looked more closely, turned out to be hundreds of tiny wiggle eyeballs. Canaan had bought little treats for everyone during the week,
and Jordan had made little gift bags for all the kids, and a big one for Art and I. The one for Art and I was filled with all sorts of useful
things that she had pilfered from around the house, including Art's wallet. ("I wanted to get you something you'd use every day" -- Alvin
Chipmunk) It was so great!
Then it was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we went outside and played with our neighbors who hooked up our kids with Valentine
baskets full of candy and toys. It was really fun. Later that night, when all the other couples were out battling crowds at restaurants, Art
used a Chili's gift card Granny and Pop had given us at Christmas, and got take out. The little ones were in bed, and the rest of us ate
Chili's goodies and watched the NBA slam dunk contest. It was one of the best Valentine's days I have ever had, spending all day with
all eight of my Valentines!!
Medical updates: Eden's Cleft Clinic check up went fine, although it was a long, boring day. She visited several doctors, and we
learned more about how they will take care of her palate in the coming years. They remarked that the hole in her mouth is just getting
bigger and bigger, but there is nothing anyone can do about it now. She sticks her hand and tongue in the hole, constantly widening it.
She does wear an obturator, but she can't wear it all the time, and a lot of damage was done before she got it. The bone graft surgery
will be done when she is six or so, and her permanent teeth start coming in, but the actual hole in her mouth will not be mended until
she is about nine or ten and can cooperate with the repair. The good news, however, is no surgery for Eden any time soon. Her
hearing was checked too, and has not gotten any better or worse.
Silas goes on Tuesday to Charlotte for the orthopedic surgeon to tell us the results of the MRI on his spine.
Thank you for your prayers.
02-08-09 Update
We had a wonderful time at the Children's Museum this week. We had not ever visited it yet, but had heard a lot about it.
Thanks to Granny and Pop, we were able to get a membership so that the kids can go all year. They absolutely loved it. I
thought it was really well done, with hours and hours of play and learning potential. They have several stations with everything
from a play pizza parlor and play market, to a fire engine and airplane. Everything is hands on, with great attention to detail. I
posted more pictures on the new February 2009 page.
Tonight the whole family (except for Jordan, who was sick) went to a Valentine's Banquet at our church. It was really great. I
got to sit with seven of my eight Valentines and have a really nice dinner. I love that the church made the banquet a family
banquet. The food was very good, and then they had a comedian who spoke for about twenty or thirty minutes. He was okay.
The funniest part was when he asked for the couple in the room who had been married the longest and there was a couple
there who had been married 62 years! He asked the husband the secret to their long marriage and he said, "Love and
cooperation." Then he asked the wife and she said, "Well, I've lost my hearing so I don't have to listen to him." That got the
biggest laugh of the night.
Art leaves in the morning for Chicago and five days of work. We are so thankful for this, but of course, are not looking forward
to Daddy being away, especially when we are so spoiled with having him around so much. But I have lots of help, and it is
only four sleeps. We are praying that he may be able to ask about more work while he is up there. There are several other
things in the works, and some of them look pretty promising. This is the most encouraging work has looked since we were
laid off last May. We have not had any income at all since early December. I also am thankful to have finished our taxes
yesterday and this was a big job that I was dreading. Given our circumstances this year, I had no idea how the numbers
would all work out, and didn't know what I would do if we owed. But we are getting a refund, so that will help a lot. So now I am
just praying that everything goes through smoothly and we don't get chosen for some sort of random audit or some such thing.
Eden goes Thursday for her Cleft Clinic, and we will spend the day visiting several doctors and specialists for their annual
assessments of her condition.
And we wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day this week. In our family, it is not just a day about romantic love, but about love in
general, and taking another opportunity to remind those who are important to us, that they are treasured. Our pastor preached
today about treasure, and I had already been thinking a lot about this, about the things we treasure, about what we really value
and is important to us. What are the things we hang onto, and the things that we would grieve to live without if our house
burned down? What are the things that we applaud most in others? Where does our treasure lie? My treasure is my
husband and children, and I am daily thankful that these are gifts from God that I can enjoy everyday. They are my pearls....
We had a wonderful time at the Children's Museum this week. We had not ever visited it yet, but had heard a lot about it.
Thanks to Granny and Pop, we were able to get a membership so that the kids can go all year. They absolutely loved it. I
thought it was really well done, with hours and hours of play and learning potential. They have several stations with everything
from a play pizza parlor and play market, to a fire engine and airplane. Everything is hands on, with great attention to detail. I
posted more pictures on the new February 2009 page.
Tonight the whole family (except for Jordan, who was sick) went to a Valentine's Banquet at our church. It was really great. I
got to sit with seven of my eight Valentines and have a really nice dinner. I love that the church made the banquet a family
banquet. The food was very good, and then they had a comedian who spoke for about twenty or thirty minutes. He was okay.
The funniest part was when he asked for the couple in the room who had been married the longest and there was a couple
there who had been married 62 years! He asked the husband the secret to their long marriage and he said, "Love and
cooperation." Then he asked the wife and she said, "Well, I've lost my hearing so I don't have to listen to him." That got the
biggest laugh of the night.
Art leaves in the morning for Chicago and five days of work. We are so thankful for this, but of course, are not looking forward
to Daddy being away, especially when we are so spoiled with having him around so much. But I have lots of help, and it is
only four sleeps. We are praying that he may be able to ask about more work while he is up there. There are several other
things in the works, and some of them look pretty promising. This is the most encouraging work has looked since we were
laid off last May. We have not had any income at all since early December. I also am thankful to have finished our taxes
yesterday and this was a big job that I was dreading. Given our circumstances this year, I had no idea how the numbers
would all work out, and didn't know what I would do if we owed. But we are getting a refund, so that will help a lot. So now I am
just praying that everything goes through smoothly and we don't get chosen for some sort of random audit or some such thing.
Eden goes Thursday for her Cleft Clinic, and we will spend the day visiting several doctors and specialists for their annual
assessments of her condition.
And we wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day this week. In our family, it is not just a day about romantic love, but about love in
general, and taking another opportunity to remind those who are important to us, that they are treasured. Our pastor preached
today about treasure, and I had already been thinking a lot about this, about the things we treasure, about what we really value
and is important to us. What are the things we hang onto, and the things that we would grieve to live without if our house
burned down? What are the things that we applaud most in others? Where does our treasure lie? My treasure is my
husband and children, and I am daily thankful that these are gifts from God that I can enjoy everyday. They are my pearls....
(c) 2009 Hannah Baker
02-20-09 Update:
Well, the voting has ended for Hannah's design. It received over 700 votes, but the average score was only 2 out of 5. This is her first submission, and we don't
understand exactly how much weight the scores have. It seems to me that it wouldn't make sense if it were completely judged by votes, because anyone submitting a
design would only have to get their friends to all vote high for their design, and then go through and vote zero for everyone else's design. So I imagine there is more to it
than that. On the other hand, perhaps Threadless is not the best audience for Hannah's type of work. She has many other ideas and designs in the works and is not
giving up. The important thing for her now is to create and maintain a good portfolio, and then we'll just see what God has for her to do. It would be awesome if she could
find some sort of job doing artwork instead of working at Panera Bread. She spends a great deal of time now doing artwork, or practicing Tae Kwon Do, which are two
things she loves to do. As for her Cheetah design, we have not heard for sure that she didn't win yet, so we'll let you know when we hear. Thank you everyone for your kind
comments and votes. When she submits her next design, I'll let you know.
On a more serious note, we took Silas to the orthopedic surgeon in Charlotte this week. Silas has seen several specialists over the years, since he came home to us in
2005. There have been various approaches to his scoliosis and other problems. It has been a long road with him, and there have been several medical issues that we
have needed to address in our little guy. I will give a quick recap for those who do not know, or don't recall the recent developments in his treatment. Over a year ago his
surgeon in Winston-Salem left to go to Idaho, and we were given a replacement. From the start, I did not feel a lot of confidence in this doctor, and when I looked him up,
his specialty was not scoliosis, like the first doctor's was. The information he gave us conflicted with what the other surgeon had told us. Then he wanted us to have a
new experimental procedure done by a surgeon in Arkansas. At first we were somewhat excited at the prospect, and looked into it. But we kept hitting roadblocks, and I
continued to feel uneasy about the procedure, and about the surgeons involved. Then when Art was laid off last May, traveling back and forth to Arkansas for surgery and
treatment became out of the question, financially. I investigated more, and prayed about it, and decided to look for a surgeon in NC who actually specializes in pediatric
scoliosis. This brought us to our Dr. Wattenbarger in Charlotte. We instantly felt a rapport with him. He was very knowledgeable, and everything he said made sense. He
also told us that the experimental procedure the other doctor wanted us to do in Arkansas, that HE could do himself if he thought it was the best thing, but that this
procedure, which intially seemed to be getting good results, actually was not testing well in the participants in the long run, and many were having additional problems!
He also asked if Silas had ever had an MRI of his spine, and strangely, in all the many tests he has had, he had never had an MRI. Dr. Wattenbarger felt this was a very
important first step. A couple weeks after the MRI, we were asked to go back to Charlotte to "discuss the results". That's a long drive just to talk. Were they sure we really
needed to go all that way now, and it couldn't wait until his next appointment in a couple months? No, they wanted to see us asap. Oh my. So, that brings us to our
appointment this week.
The MRI showed that Silas has a pocket of fluid on his lower spine, and also a divided spinal cord, where it divides and reconnects a little further on, and a tethered cord.
These are all things that could cause him considerable problems later on in life as he grows. So, before his scoliosis can be addressed or operated on, it is essential
that a pediatric neurosurgeon addresses his spinal cord problems first. As you can imagine, many thoughts went through our mind. First of all, out of the many "experts"
who have poked and prodded our poor boy over the past three and a half years, not ONE has ever suggested the important step of doing an MRI. Secondly, had Art not
been laid off, Silas would have gone to Arkansas for surgery by now (as that doctor thought it was urgent -- it is not), and they would have opened him up to find a problem
that they had not anticipated, complicating things to what degree? Who knows? God knew. And while it is hard to be thankful for losing our job, we are thankful for this
aspect of it. We are also thankful that God brought us to a doctor who knows what he is doing, and Silas is in good hands now. We are now awaiting our appointment
with the neurosurgeon. This may mean a different sort of surgery for Silas, but we will do whatever it takes to get him what he needs. Thank you for your prayers.
This week Maggie and Silas have begun a new reading lesson book, and I am so excited to hear them actually reading words! I have some pretty strong views about
education, much more than I can write here, but one thing is that we are in no hurry to force our kids to learn things that they are not ready to learn. Maggie and Silas have
both been showing signs of being ready and willing to begin reading, but I was struggling with what approach to take. We had tried a few things that were not working, but
this week I tried a new book, and they have been taking to it very well so far. One of my favorite quotes is from Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher: “My heart is singing
for joy this morning. A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil’s mind, and behold, all things are changed.” This is so true. It is
an honor and delight to see the light of learning go on in your child's mind.
And one more thought I wanted to share. I have been having some health problems, and some issues lately that have really been a burden to me. One issue is my
continuing struggle with fear and panic. I have had heart issues in the past, which cause me to always be anxious that they will recur, especially when I go out anywhere.
This is a hard enemy to fight! Everything I read in the Bible tells us that God is not a God of fear, and I know these feelings I have are not from God. This past week I had
an episode where my heart was racing for many hours, and I could not even sleep. It was intensely uncomfortable, and I was very afraid. My family prayed for me
repeatedly, and I tried to fill my mind with songs and verses and thoughts to calm me. But panic is a hard thing to control, and when you start to feel it, it tends to make you
feel even more panicked. But as I went through this week there were some things that I thought about: As hard as it is to go through disappointments, and trials, losses,
and health struggles, it always remains that one thing I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt is where I will go when I die. Secondly, I know that no matter what happens
in my life, nothing can happen that God has not allowed, or doesn't have a reason for; nothing arbitrary can happen to me! God is in control, and though we are not
promised that everything will be easy in life, when we trust in God, we can know that nothing happens arbitrarily, or just by chance. God knows everything that happens to
us, even before it happens, and nothing can happen to me without His permission and His purpose. These things are really quite comforting when facing challenges,
and I can't help but wonder how people live who do not have these assurances in their lives. I know how much I struggle, even though I know these things; if I did not have
these assurances, if I did not know what would happen when I died, if I thought I could arbitrarily be the victim of calamity or disease or malice, I would live every day in
terror! How could you not? I suppose someone might deal with it by just ignoring everything and not thinking about it, but for me, I just don't know how you would not be
constantly afraid. But I thank God that we CAN know where we will be when we die, and we CAN know that everything in our lives happens for a reason. I am so thankful
for these assurances in my life. It makes all the difference in the world. It is huge. And I wish that everyone could have this same assurance. I just felt I needed to share
that.
--
Well, the voting has ended for Hannah's design. It received over 700 votes, but the average score was only 2 out of 5. This is her first submission, and we don't
understand exactly how much weight the scores have. It seems to me that it wouldn't make sense if it were completely judged by votes, because anyone submitting a
design would only have to get their friends to all vote high for their design, and then go through and vote zero for everyone else's design. So I imagine there is more to it
than that. On the other hand, perhaps Threadless is not the best audience for Hannah's type of work. She has many other ideas and designs in the works and is not
giving up. The important thing for her now is to create and maintain a good portfolio, and then we'll just see what God has for her to do. It would be awesome if she could
find some sort of job doing artwork instead of working at Panera Bread. She spends a great deal of time now doing artwork, or practicing Tae Kwon Do, which are two
things she loves to do. As for her Cheetah design, we have not heard for sure that she didn't win yet, so we'll let you know when we hear. Thank you everyone for your kind
comments and votes. When she submits her next design, I'll let you know.
On a more serious note, we took Silas to the orthopedic surgeon in Charlotte this week. Silas has seen several specialists over the years, since he came home to us in
2005. There have been various approaches to his scoliosis and other problems. It has been a long road with him, and there have been several medical issues that we
have needed to address in our little guy. I will give a quick recap for those who do not know, or don't recall the recent developments in his treatment. Over a year ago his
surgeon in Winston-Salem left to go to Idaho, and we were given a replacement. From the start, I did not feel a lot of confidence in this doctor, and when I looked him up,
his specialty was not scoliosis, like the first doctor's was. The information he gave us conflicted with what the other surgeon had told us. Then he wanted us to have a
new experimental procedure done by a surgeon in Arkansas. At first we were somewhat excited at the prospect, and looked into it. But we kept hitting roadblocks, and I
continued to feel uneasy about the procedure, and about the surgeons involved. Then when Art was laid off last May, traveling back and forth to Arkansas for surgery and
treatment became out of the question, financially. I investigated more, and prayed about it, and decided to look for a surgeon in NC who actually specializes in pediatric
scoliosis. This brought us to our Dr. Wattenbarger in Charlotte. We instantly felt a rapport with him. He was very knowledgeable, and everything he said made sense. He
also told us that the experimental procedure the other doctor wanted us to do in Arkansas, that HE could do himself if he thought it was the best thing, but that this
procedure, which intially seemed to be getting good results, actually was not testing well in the participants in the long run, and many were having additional problems!
He also asked if Silas had ever had an MRI of his spine, and strangely, in all the many tests he has had, he had never had an MRI. Dr. Wattenbarger felt this was a very
important first step. A couple weeks after the MRI, we were asked to go back to Charlotte to "discuss the results". That's a long drive just to talk. Were they sure we really
needed to go all that way now, and it couldn't wait until his next appointment in a couple months? No, they wanted to see us asap. Oh my. So, that brings us to our
appointment this week.
The MRI showed that Silas has a pocket of fluid on his lower spine, and also a divided spinal cord, where it divides and reconnects a little further on, and a tethered cord.
These are all things that could cause him considerable problems later on in life as he grows. So, before his scoliosis can be addressed or operated on, it is essential
that a pediatric neurosurgeon addresses his spinal cord problems first. As you can imagine, many thoughts went through our mind. First of all, out of the many "experts"
who have poked and prodded our poor boy over the past three and a half years, not ONE has ever suggested the important step of doing an MRI. Secondly, had Art not
been laid off, Silas would have gone to Arkansas for surgery by now (as that doctor thought it was urgent -- it is not), and they would have opened him up to find a problem
that they had not anticipated, complicating things to what degree? Who knows? God knew. And while it is hard to be thankful for losing our job, we are thankful for this
aspect of it. We are also thankful that God brought us to a doctor who knows what he is doing, and Silas is in good hands now. We are now awaiting our appointment
with the neurosurgeon. This may mean a different sort of surgery for Silas, but we will do whatever it takes to get him what he needs. Thank you for your prayers.
This week Maggie and Silas have begun a new reading lesson book, and I am so excited to hear them actually reading words! I have some pretty strong views about
education, much more than I can write here, but one thing is that we are in no hurry to force our kids to learn things that they are not ready to learn. Maggie and Silas have
both been showing signs of being ready and willing to begin reading, but I was struggling with what approach to take. We had tried a few things that were not working, but
this week I tried a new book, and they have been taking to it very well so far. One of my favorite quotes is from Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher: “My heart is singing
for joy this morning. A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil’s mind, and behold, all things are changed.” This is so true. It is
an honor and delight to see the light of learning go on in your child's mind.
And one more thought I wanted to share. I have been having some health problems, and some issues lately that have really been a burden to me. One issue is my
continuing struggle with fear and panic. I have had heart issues in the past, which cause me to always be anxious that they will recur, especially when I go out anywhere.
This is a hard enemy to fight! Everything I read in the Bible tells us that God is not a God of fear, and I know these feelings I have are not from God. This past week I had
an episode where my heart was racing for many hours, and I could not even sleep. It was intensely uncomfortable, and I was very afraid. My family prayed for me
repeatedly, and I tried to fill my mind with songs and verses and thoughts to calm me. But panic is a hard thing to control, and when you start to feel it, it tends to make you
feel even more panicked. But as I went through this week there were some things that I thought about: As hard as it is to go through disappointments, and trials, losses,
and health struggles, it always remains that one thing I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt is where I will go when I die. Secondly, I know that no matter what happens
in my life, nothing can happen that God has not allowed, or doesn't have a reason for; nothing arbitrary can happen to me! God is in control, and though we are not
promised that everything will be easy in life, when we trust in God, we can know that nothing happens arbitrarily, or just by chance. God knows everything that happens to
us, even before it happens, and nothing can happen to me without His permission and His purpose. These things are really quite comforting when facing challenges,
and I can't help but wonder how people live who do not have these assurances in their lives. I know how much I struggle, even though I know these things; if I did not have
these assurances, if I did not know what would happen when I died, if I thought I could arbitrarily be the victim of calamity or disease or malice, I would live every day in
terror! How could you not? I suppose someone might deal with it by just ignoring everything and not thinking about it, but for me, I just don't know how you would not be
constantly afraid. But I thank God that we CAN know where we will be when we die, and we CAN know that everything in our lives happens for a reason. I am so thankful
for these assurances in my life. It makes all the difference in the world. It is huge. And I wish that everyone could have this same assurance. I just felt I needed to share
that.
--