Heritage Baptist Church's Website

I wanted to let you all know about our church's new website. We have a gentleman that has been working on it for quite some time and has done a fantastic job. After much work, he was finally able to get Taigen's sermons on the web as well. You can get to the website by clicking on the picture of our church on the right-hand side of our blog, or you can just go to www.hbcdover.com then click on the "Messages" tab.

You Know The Day Had to Come...

We loathe good-byes. Karen and I were talking about it the other day and teared up just mentioning it. The hard part is knowing that it will be a while before we see each other again. Hopefully we can get out to Seattle next year sometime.

We got up and got ready to go to church this morning. I took one last photo before we headed out the door. We did very well in not boo-hooing all the way out to the van, down the driveway and all the way to church. I didn't want to arrive at church with my red nose! It's so hard to maintain my composure when Ralph is tearing up.What a great visit we had. The kids were cuddling with us in our bed just before bedtime tonight and Shaylen said, "I'm going to miss Uncle Ralph and Aunt Karen. I wish they didn't have to go." Taigen consoled her with news that Grandma Sherry will be here in just a few weeks. Marshall then piped up and asked, "Will she spoil us rotten?" Of course, you know that will be the case!

Reality will hit hard tomorrow morning. That guest room will seem so empty! We'll start school back up in full force. However, in getting things ready for the week tonight, I noticed that Herman the imaginary hampster left a note and a special treat in Marshall and Shaylen's desks. Undoubtedly, that will perk them up considerably!

Marshall's Serenade

Marshall loves to sing. He usually hums or sings along with any CD that is playing. One thing that he did months ago was make up his own song entitled "Angels On the Rock". It has no theological or doctrinal importance, but he loves it and sings it all the time (especially when he's in the bathroom).

Ralph and Karen wanted to hear the song while they were here. Marshall was "nervous" so we put the pop-up Thomas the Tank Engine in between so that he couldn't see them watching. I whipped out the camera and caught it (though I think he realized it part way through).

Once the initial song was over, Marshall then broke into "Blessed Be the Name". Uncle Ralph and Aunt Karen loved it!

Aunt Karen & Herman's Projects

Aunt Karen brought along an imaginary friend in her carry-on. It was Herman the Hampster. Herman had various and sundry treats for the kids as well as gifts. Every day Karen would peek in the bag and check in on Herman and see if he had anything for the kids.

On Friday when I went to my doctor's appointment, the kids worked on a project for Herman. When I came home I saw two miniature Christmas trees and hand-made decorations all each. They were so proud of them. Now the tough project will be finding a home for them until Christmas! The other thing Karen wanted to do with the kids was make cookies. They love doing that since it usually means that they get to eat dough. It probably took three times as long, but Karen was in her element.The kids had a blast working on all the things Karen had planned.

Wednesday's Pictures

I was finally able to get some pictures of the museum visit from Karen's camera to our computer so that I could post a few of them here on the blog for those of you who are dying to see them (read that: Grandma Rutledge and Marie Dorsett...my two biggest fans).This last one has got to be my favorite. Uncle Ralph (For those who asked, this is Taigen's uncle. So technically, they are M&S's Great Aunt and Uncle...in more ways than one!) and Aunt Karen took the kids shoe shopping after the museum. As they were walking back to the car, Shaylen looked up at Uncle Ralph and said, "Uncle Ralph, will you hold my hand?" After Ralph picked himself up from off the floor as a puddle of mush, he did so and they held hands throughout the mall and out to the car. Too cute. Karen was a gem and got this shot for me. Now we all know that Shaylen has got Ralph wrapped around her little finger for good.

The Verdict Is In

I went to the hand specialist this morning to discuss the lump in my hand. He took one feel and said, "Yup, it is definitely still there." Of course he eventually gave me the decision of what to do, but his choices were to inject it again or to have it surgically removed. He was puzzled that it was still there! He said the likelihood of him missing it the first time was slim. (I reminded him that the nurses had told me he had done six earlier in the day that I had been in.) But he also said that the likelihood of it coming back after injection was slim too. He was leaning toward the surgery. I could tell because he said, "I'd hate to keep harpooning you..."

Soooo, my surgery is scheduled for October 13th. I purposely scheduled it on this date. We leave for our Colorado vacation the very next day and a lady in our church has been graciously willing to play piano for me while we're gone. I didn't want to add more to her plate by having to ask her to cover for me twice!

The good news is, I didn't faint in the doctor's office today AND the doctor said that this would take care of things. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Wednesday's Happenings

On Tuesday night, Karen promised the kids French toast sticks for breakfast Wednesday morning. She said she would make it and we could eat breakfast out on the deck. I deliberately didn't change them out of their pj's on Wednesday morning so they could match the pajama pant ensemble of the adults (including myself). Our neighborhood is private enough that our neighbors weren't driving by gaping at how wretched we all looked while we ate our delicious breakfast, bed head and all!

Karen started things off by making the kids hot cocoa. Then she made French toast sticks by using hot dog buns (clever!). It was a terrific breakfast. Shaylen scarfed hers down. Are you surprised?

Ralph and Karen also promised Marshall and Shaylen that they would take them to the children's museum. I had a few secretarial things to do for the church so they told me to just stay at home. I knew the kids would have a blast and Ralph and Karen certainly didn't need me, so they took off with directions in hand.

They were gone for the majority of the day and came back exhausted...at least Ralph and Karen were. They said that they thought they needed quiet time. I asked if it was because the kids hadn't been good. The emphatic answer was "no"! They needed quiet time because of their age!

I am awaiting pictures from Karen to post here but I'll leave you with pictures of breakfast to tide you over until then.

Sun, Sand & More Spoiling

Yesterday was beautiful so we decided to hit the beach. Marshall and Shaylen were so excited. We started off our adventure with a trip to the "Dollah Stowa" (Dollar Store) so that I could get powder to help clean off the sand when we were done. Karen gave everyone a buck to spend however we wish. You would have thought you had given the kids the moon! Shaylen ended up with something to color and Marshall bought a long rubber snake. He has been entertained with that thing for hours ever since. That was the best $1 investment!

We went to a beach just on the other side of Portsmouth. School is back in session so the beaches weren't crowded at all. Shaylen roped Karen into playing "Wave Kick" which involves exactly what the name says. Needless to say, they both got drenched. So drenched in fact, that Shaylen's shorts decided to fall off on the way back to the towels and beach chairs. Uncle Ralph jimmie-rigged his camera strap so that it would act as a belt and keep her decent! We got a good laugh out of that one.

Ralph stayed out of the water. He had purchased a newspaper and was in his element just reading, listening and watching the waves and enjoying the laughs Marshall brought. What did Marshall do? Well, Marshall did exactly what he did the last time. He played in a pit (that Aunt Karen and I dug for him), crashed into any portion of a castle/fort that I was building, and rolled around and buried things in the sand. A couple of times, we had to go in search of buried treasure so that they wouldn't get lost and left behind! Marshall could've entertained himself there all day I think. Eventually hunger took over, so we had to leave.

Ralph took us out to the kids' favorite restaurant: "Ol' McDonald's". They got their usual French fries and chicken and even got to have pop! You could almost hear those brownie points racking up for Uncle Ralph. How can he resist though when these cute kids are asking?

Afterwards, we all went and roamed the grocery store with Aunt Karen as she decided what she was going to cook us for dinner. We ended up getting spoiled with pasta with pesto, brown butter pasta, sauteed shrimp, sea scallops and fresh bread. It was unbelievable! Yum-O. It was a perfect day.

The Joy of Relations

Like I said in my previous post, Uncle Ralph and Aunt Karen are here! We have been looking forward to this for a long time. On Sunday night we told the kids that Uncle Ralph and Aunt Karen "will be here tomorrow!" Yesterday morning when Marshall woke up he said, "Is this tomorrow?"

In the past when we've gone out to Washington it's taken a while for Marshall and Shaylen to warm up to everyone. I remember last summer the kids were silent for the entire drive home with Chris (Taigen's cousin). As soon as he got out of the car, the chatter started.

Not so this time. Maybe it was five minutes, but however long it was, the kids warmed up quickly and there was no stopping the flow of conversation after that. Of course, Ralph and Karen wanted to see all of the house and so we were giving them the grand tour. When we were in the Master bedroom, Marshall decided to do his part and so he said to Ralph in a very touristy voice, "And here's the toilet..." We died laughing. There's a long story that made the entire thing even more hilarious, but I won't digress here. Let's just say that Marshall picked the right person to talk to at that point!

We were so thankful to see that beautiful weather is predicted for the whole week. Last night we grilled and ate out on the deck and then we went out front where a few practice golf balls were hit around. Ralph and Marshall were trying to catch them. I caught this shot (Left) of Marshall getting ready just like Uncle Ralph! Too cute.

I've added a little video of the kids from yesterday. Marshall was begging to play outside with his water gun and Aunt Karen decided to liven things up with her masterful sneakiness! She asked Uncle Ralph (with his sore knee) if he could please go out to the car and get the batteries out of the hot backseat. She then went and filled the kids' water guns and told them to go out and get Uncle Ralph. It was two against one and Ralph is just coming off of knee surgery. He couldn't even run! The kids loved it!

Later on last night the kids each read one of their readers and Karen was loving life. It was such a good day. We are so glad to have family here.

Labor Day Weekend Church Picnic

Greetings all! I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing Labor Day. We sure did. I am basking in the joy of having family here! Yes, Ralph and Karen are finally here from Washington. I don't think I've laughed this hard in so long. I'll post more about their visit later.

I wanted to let you know that we had a terrific time with our church family on Saturday. We had about 56 people here at the house. The weather was perfect the whole day, the kids were running in and out and having a great time with their friends and the adults were enjoying the extended period of time to just sit, relax and have a great time of fellowship. The guys whipped out the basketballs and horseshoes and had a couple of "friendly" games. A couple of ladies got in on the horseshoe action, but I'll be gracious and not post the pics! (I want them to continue being my friends. Hee hee!)

We thoroughly enjoyed having everyone over to the house. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to host this.

Special Guests and Special Shots

We were delighted when Joni called this past week and asked if she and the kids could stay here for a night en route to Maine for a nice long weekend. Of course she can stay! Too bad she couldn't bring Jason too. We always have a great time with them. It seems like we always are wishing we lived closer so we could spend more time together.

We emailed Janelle to let her know about it. Janelle had been wanting pictures of all of the kids with her before she took off for Zambia. Our thought was to try some out on the front lawn with my camera and if those don't work out, go to The Picture People. We think they turned out pretty good, but I'll let you be the judge. Here are the group shots: But of course, I had to take some with Janelle and Marshall and Shaylen too!We had a great time. Joni and I stayed up late talking about various and sundry things and then enjoyed a relaxing morning together (well, as relaxing as chasing and cleaning up after four kids can be!) while Taigen worked out in the yard. (Poor guy! He had to cut down branches that had been over taken by caterpillars. Ewww! They were quickly destroyed. Double Ewwww!)

This afternoon and tonight we've gotten ready for our church Labor Day Picnic that we're hosting here at our home. We are looking forward to it and should have about 53 of our church people coming over. It will be a great time! I'll try to take and post some pictures when I can.

These are busy times, but we love the time spent with friends.

JHSA Update

We have officially finished up our second week of school! I've seen more yawns this week but every day there is great enthusiasm as we trek over to "Grammie's Room" for school. (For those of you who have not visited us, "Grammie's Room" is the guest room above the garage.)

This past week the kids learned more about the letter "t" and the letter "i". They have read their first word this week: "it". This might not seem like a big deal to you, but to my son it is a huge deal! For a while, he was waking up ready to go to school and would say, "Mommy! Today is the day that I am going to read!" Today they read sentences that had "I" and "it" in them and I would help out with the middle word. It was exciting to hear them pick out the right word at the right time. They also got their second reader this week and it was enjoyable to hear them "read" it. This one was also just a picture book, but the kids described the story very well.

One thing that was not as delightful for the kids this week was the emphasis on fire safety. They were scared of all the talk of fires. They worried about all kinds of things: smoke, fires at night, having fire drills, remembering our meeting spot, the reliability of our smoke alarms, and making sure they would remember to close the door after they escaped so the fire wouldn't spread! Can you imagine all of the questions we got? Getting to wear their "fire hats" today helped lighten their moods, but when the fire fighter was demonstrating how they get ready to go fight a fire (and all the equipment they need to wear), Marshall started to cry because he thought the man was going to have to go right then to fight a fire! He didn't want to see a big fire. Poor kiddo! Once he realized that the firefighter was just showing how he stays safe while helping others, he calmed down and enjoyed the rest of the lesson.

I loved the picture that he drew of himself during writing time today. He drew himself as a firefighter. He included the mask, hose, hat and boots. He even went so far as to say that when he grows up he wants to be a firefighter! That was a shock to me since he always says he wants to be a pilot.

This next week, we're going to take school one day at a time because we have two very special guests coming: Uncle Ralph and Aunt Karen all the way from Washington! The kids have been looking forward to their visit for SO long. I think Marshall and Shaylen are going to convince them to take them to the Children's Museum again. Maybe I should write "Spoiling by the Relations" in the lesson plan book. I think it is on their agenda for sure.

School Funny

Today the kids continued to focus on the letter "t". They were learning about the uppercase and lowercase t's and also a song about the "t" sound. It was fun! They were staying words like tiger, tent, tadpole & turtle because they were on a chart. They were asked to think of other words that start with t. They thought of toast, Taigen, Taylor, toad, tater tots & toes to name a few.

I was helping them think of some of these and thought I would get them to mention "tea". They love drinking my iced tea, especially at dinner time. I asked, "What else starts with "t"? Something that Mama drinks all the time."

Without hesitation and in unison they both said, "Coffee!"

Bird Cam

I just wanted to share these three great shots of this Ruby-Throated Hummingbird that I got yesterday afternoon. They are so small and so beautiful. We've had a ton of them at the feeder this summer. They love sitting on the very last tip of the Oriole "branch" (the first picture) and just look around and around. Then, when they've seen all that they want, they go and get a couple of sips and zoom away. They are fascinating to watch.

Hand Update

I wanted to give a brief hand update. Yesterday I called the hand specialist's office to get some advice. The nodule has not reduced in size or discomfort. I've massaged it diligently as I was told but nothing has modified the size or slight clicking. I wanted to call and confirm that this thing was supposed to be gone by now. After being nervous, woozy and teary in the office it's very likely I might have missed that strain of conversation when he said it should disappear, but the impression I got was that there was supposed to be immediate results.

When the doctor's office returned my call, I actually spoke to his physician's assistant. When I told her what was going on she said, "Oh! Well, that should have been gone by now!" She then followed up that comment with, "I'm thinking he's going to have to surgically remove it."

Gulp. Could that mean that I very well could be one of the "lucky" ones and end up in the 40% where the cortisone shot doesn't work? Great. I have a strange feeling in my stomach just typing this. She said to give it another week, even though she was skeptical, and if things hadn't changed by next Friday to put in another call. Do I dare?

Dining Room Renovation

During all of the ladies' fellowships, home schooling, church responsibilities, Olympics and lawn care, Taigen has managed to fit in the renovation of our dining room. This process has been a bit longer than others, but the transformation has been awesome (in our opinion).When we moved into the Saco home, Erika Gray had a folk art/country theme in the kitchen/dining area and guest bath. I loved it! It looked so neat and fits perfectly into the New England style. I wanted to pull some of that into the downstairs of this home.

I had found some terrific curtains at Wal-Mart when Mom was out here and they were just the color and style that I wanted in the dining room. They are very close in color with the valance in the kitchen over the sink at probably a third of the price! The ladies who compliment the curtains are always surprised when I say that I found them at Wal-Mart. It makes me laugh.

I originally wanted to paint the dining room a rich cranberry/mulberry color, but after our wretched experience with five coats of Behr paint in the guest room in ME, Taigen hastily said a firm "let's not." I don't blame him. I loved the color, but for some reason, that room never looked quite right. I tossed colors back and forth and the idea of wallpaper since that is coming back into style. We couldn't decide. On a whim one day I was surfing the net, looking at folk/country wallpaper when I came across a plaid, yes, plaid wallpaper that looked really neat. It was a bold look, but when I asked Taigen about it he gave the thumbs up. I guess anything is better than five coats of cranberry paint, eh?

The dining room was a light gray (it matched the kitchen) with darker gray trim. It didn't look too bad but definitely not something I wanted to keep. When we first moved in, I had a coupon for a free sample of Benjamin Moore paint from a local paint store. I picked up a tan color that I thought would look nice on the living room wall. It didn't. Maybe it would look better in the dining room? Nope. It didn't look any better. So for weeks we had gray walls with a splotch of Lenox Tan.Taigen started off the renovation by painting the trim to match the rest of the downstairs. Then when the wallpaper came in he took the roll to the paint store and matched it with several swatches of brown and called me to have me look it up on the computer. I wanted the room to coordinate with the rest of the house since it is not closed off, but I wanted it darker so that it would be a slightly more formal eating area. When he came home and opened the paint can I was a bit nervous, but holding it up next to the wallpaper confirmed in my mind that he had chosen the right color. The painting started.Taigen had painted all of the top half of the dining room by Friday night of last week and we were able to wallpaper one wall before my Moms and Muffins Ladies' Fellowship. That way, the ladies knew what we had in mind and didn't think that the brown was a mistake! The room wasn't picture perfect for a troop of ladies to come and critique, but it didn't affect the get-together one iota! We still had a ton of fun. During some of the evenings this week, Taigen and I have been furiously wallpapering with intermittent Olympics breaks! Taigen had asked if he could have some help on the chair rail from our good friend Dale Tock. Dale was available to come over tonight and help hang it. Side Note: Not only does Dale have all the big boy toys necessary to do the job, he also has the know-how. He is amazing. The reason I say he is amazing is because he is legally blind. However, Dale functions at such an incredible level, that even I forget sometimes that he cannot see. He cannot drive, read a hymnal or book, but this guy can hang a chair rail and do so many other wonderful things. The guys did a great job tonight (while his wife, Carol, and I chatted and played with the kids). We are so very pleased with how the room turned out.

Now all we need are guests! Ready to come and dine?

A Great First Week

We had a great first week of school! The kids really enjoyed every project and activity. They did so well listening and following directions! A love has developed between them and their new scissors and glue. It is a great disappointment to the twins when those two special school supplies stay idle in their supply box.

There were two highlights from this week. One was that they got to frost and decorate their very own "Alphabet Cupcake". Marshall chose the letter "m" and Shaylen did a letter "e" with Skittles. I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of their cupcakes, they were too quick to eat it! The second highlight came today. They were able to get their very first reader. This story contained no words, but they were able to sit and "read" me the story page by page. I love the descriptive words that they used!

I have posted a little clip of Marshall and Shaylen as they follow their teacher's (Mrs. Lawson) instructions. As you can see, we function very much like a traditional classroom! I am learning to love that pause button so that they can be very involved with their teachers. In fact, yesterday I wrote Dr. Lawson (Dean of Fine Arts at BJU) and told him how much the kids love his wife. He passed the message on to her and she sent along a special hello just for Marshall and Shaylen. The greeting didn't have as much of an effect on the twins as it did for me, but then they have no clue that she teaches thousands of students across the country! To them, she is doing her job for an audience of two. What a blessing!

First Day of School!

I am elated to report that school has officially opened. The opening day for the Joos Home School Academy was yesterday and Marshall and Shaylen were so excited. Our desks and chairs hadn't arrived yet, but the kids rolled with the punches. Fortunately, the desks arrived yesterday evening and we got everything set up last night so that the kids were able to use them today.

We are using the BJU Press DVD's to help us in the home schooling process. Some of you might wonder why we're using that when I have an education degree. I'll give you one good reason: time.

Let me clarify that I am not sitting them in front of a TV, turning it on and then plopping myself down on the couch in order to eat bon-bons and drink a double venti white chocolate mocha from Starbucks. (Oooo, that sounds nice!) My involvement is probably best described as such: I get all of their workbook papers, manipulatives, photocopies, craft items and extra items ready for an entire week (This is no small task! There are tons!) The day before the lessons, I prepare their individual folders so that they are ready when their DVD teacher asks them to get it. I sit in the classroom (we've set it up in our guest room) with them and pause the video when questions are asked that require a response, that way they are still having to think, raise their hands and respond to their teacher. I am up and down and monitoring everything. I will eventually grade their papers and note their progress. I just don't have to prepare the actual lesson. (Let me just say I have a whole new respect for those who home school more than one level. The preparation is probably maddening!) It is very nice to not have to add lesson plans to my already busy schedule.

There is no way that I could have all of the resources these teachers have: a 6' bunny named Hopscotch, Miss Rita Story the librarian, Mr. Nice Guy, Cookie the Snack Time Chef, Flicker the lightbulb, Cheddar the mouse or Bonnie the singing bluebird to name a few (can you believe there are lots more?)! There's an exercise time, a reading "corner", singing, counting, I Spy and many other activities to keep things very interesting. I am so thankful for this resource to help us in teaching the twins. It is a huge blessing to me.

It does involve a huge chunk of my time in the mornings. I look at it as an investment into their lives and also a specific time set aside that I get to (have to) spend with the kids. The laundry, dusting and cleaning just has to wait! (If you call, most likely you'll get voice mail.)

So, how is it going? If yesterday and today are any indicator, it's going great! Marshall and Shaylen actually cried when we were done today. Marshall said he wanted to continue even though I told him it was time to eat lunch! Shaylen said that she couldn't wait until tomorrow. I know that eventually the novelty will wear off, but until then, we're having the time of our lives.

Hand Update

Some of you have been asking about my hand and the tendon nodule. It's a bit discouraging to report that at this point, the lump is still there! It is extremely tender. I expected that the soreness would be gone by now along with the lump, but I have no good news to report.

The doctor recommended massaging it several times a day, which I have done faithfully with much wincing, but it hasn't seemed to decrease the size at all. Would you please continue to pray for this? Now instead of mild pain when pressure was added, there is a dull ache at all times (unless I take Advil) and wincing pain when I grab anything.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I wanted to let you know what's been going on so that you can be in prayer. Please specifically pray that this can be resolved by September. The college girls have already returned to their respective schools (that subtracts two pianists from our church) and September is when choir picks up again. My piano responsibilities are about to increase.