6, 4, and 2

In case you are wondering what these numbers mean, they are the number of inches we trimmed off each of the girls' hair this afternoon. Megan and Grace have been begging me to trim their hair, but we had to wait until after their dance performance so we could get their hair up in a bun without too many fly aways. Now that the performance is past, we decided that today would be trim day. Hence, a "new look" for a "new year." Our finished products!

Leah sat and watched me trim her sisters' hair before she asked me to cut her hair to look like "Ga-Ga's" (her pronunciation for "Megan"). This was her first hair cut, so the pictures below document that bit of history in the life of our 3-year-old.

Before..... During...... and After!

~Wee

Winter Wonderland

We are still covered in ice here, with the temperatures near zero, but are so thankful for a warm house and electricity! There are still many people in our area that are without power, some since last Friday. On Friday, when the area first lost power, we were only without electricity for 3 hours.

Everything ran fine until Sunday just after lunch when we lost power once again. Upon arriving home from church, we gathered all flashlights, kerosene lanterns, candles, matches, and extra blankets so we'd be ready, with light and warmth, when the sun went down. However, none of that was needed as our good friends called mid-afternoon inviting us to their house for dinner since they were operating with a generator.

After dinner, Alex and I came back home to pack up overnight necessities, turn off the water, drain all pipes, and transfer food from the freezer to a cooler in the garage. We were thankful for warm food and beds that night, as well as making memories with our friends! Thanks guys! The girls hanging out with Holly.

Electricity came back on in the early morning hours yesterday and we have been okay since. Below are some pictures of the ice around our place. When the sun shines through it, it actually is a glorious sight to see.

~Wee

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to you, our family and friends! We so enjoy receiving your cards and pictures at this time of year!

Megan turned 10 in August and is in 4th grade. She reports that her favorite subjects are Math and Language Arts. She is our tomboy and appears to be a “natural” when it comes to athleticism. She made several baskets in Upwards basketball this year and also did a good job on the defensive end. In May we had our home school track and field day, where Megan came away with blue ribbons in every running event for her age level. Her “speed” was also instrumental on the soccer team this Fall. Throughout the year, Megan enjoys ballet and tap classes, piano lessons, swimming, reading, helping in the kitchen and the garden, playing games, scrap booking, making cards, and lest I forget, running.

Grace turned 8 in April and is in 3rd grade. Her favorite subject is Reading. She chose an American Revolution /Colonial theme for her birthday party. (It’s fun to squeeze in “school” even in a party setting!) She, too, was in Upwards basketball and, being one of the oldest on her team, made several baskets and showed great leadership skills. She played soccer this Fall, scoring a goal in the first game. Her strong point was playing defense, which Coach praised her for at the end of the season. He stated that it takes great courage to not back down when the ball is coming your way. Grace loves reading, ballet and tap classes, piano lessons, coloring, cooking and baking, swimming, scrap booking, and making cards. She is a natural nurturer and is drawn to little ones. She’ll be a great babysitter in a few years!

Leah turned 3 in July. She does her best at keeping up with her sisters and just loves to be incorporated into their play. She loves books, dollies, playing “house” and "store," hide and seek, helping out where needed, and doing her “school“ along with her sisters. She loves calling Daddy on the phone and when he comes home from work each day. I so enjoy her cuddles, hugs and kisses that are so readily available yet at this age! Her current favorite book is Curious George Goes to the Hospital.

Alex continues to balance our two chiropractic offices and stays very busy, squeezing in training seminars throughout the year as well. This summer, soon after arriving at the cabin in Michigan, Alex was struck by a tree limb that fell 25-30 feet. He had a crushed collarbone and a punctured lung and spent the first four nights of our vacation in the hospital. We are thankful for his complete recovery and for God's provisions for us during that time, complete with people to trim our own trees once we arrived home.

I continue to stay at home and home school the girls, and consider it a great blessing to do so. I am keeping up my massage business by working one day a week at our office, as well as fitting clients in on the side. I manage to squeeze in scrap booking about twice a year at our bi-annual retreats. I have enjoyed journaling on our family blog and sharing what our family is doing as things happen. Come back and visit us! We'd love to hear from you!

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2009! May the Messiah King be real to you this season!

Much love,
Alex, Lorelei, Megan, Grace and Leah

She Made It

Well, today Leah experienced something that even I have never experienced. I noticed a spot on one of her bottom molars so took her to the dentist. Since she would barely open her mouth for our family dentist to get a glimpse of the tooth in question, he referred us out to a pediadontist. That appointment was last week. After an exam of her teeth, the pediadontist recommended a possible crown. Along with that came having to give her an antihistamine/anti-anxiety med two hours and one hour before her scheduled appointment.

Basically after that appointment, I was a mess. First of all, I was devastated that our 3 year old has cavities. (All of our girls' back teeth have such deep crevices.) Secondly, the thought of what she was going to have to go through was gut-wrenching! I called a friend of mine and she read scripture (in Luke) to me where Jesus warns about worry. I was reminded that whatever God is doing in Leah's little mouth, He is doing it for her good. Then she ministered to me in prayer as she prayed for me, our family, and little Leah. By that evening, both Alex and I felt more peaceful about what we were going to have to do.

Today was the appointment day. Soon after Leah woke up this morning, I had to administer the anti-anxiety drug. She did very well, considering its bad taste. Even before I had to give her the second pre-appointment dose, she was looking very tired. We didn't sit in the waiting area long before the assistant opened the door and said, "Leah." Leah wrapped her arms around me and clung to me. I had to pry her arms from around my neck and hand my baby over to the lady. Then Leah started to cry. After the door closed, I turned my chair around so I didn't have to face the front desk gals and sat there, looked out the window, and cried. After a bit, I pulled out my Bible, which I took along fully knowing I'd need it to get through the long 30 minutes.

I read in Psalm 91, a chapter that I memorized last year, but had actually stopped the habit of reciting it to myself. My Mom reminded me recently to meditate on the truth of those words and the promises contained therein.

5-10 minutes later: An assistant came out to me and handed me a piece of paper that discussed child restraining, basically a papoose looking board with straps at the ankles and wrists. I couldn't help it -- the tears started to fall all over again. I asked how Leah was doing and if I could go back with her. The lady didn't say no, but stated that there were already three assistants in the room. I guess holding a child's hands down constitutes "child restraining" and they apparently needed permission to do so. The other option was to go to the hospital and have general anesthetic done. Knowing this was not an option for us, I told her to do what they had to do. (I'm actually surprised she could understand what I was attempting to say between all my crying. Kind of funny now that I think about it, she did have to ask me to repeat something.)

Anyway, I continued to read on into Psalm 92 and just after reading vs. 4b-5, "I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts...," the assistant came out to me once again and said that Leah had calmed down quite a bit, the nitrous oxide was working, and they were getting things done quickly.

Probably not even 10 minutes later, the original assistant that took Leah back came out and told me, "She's all done, that I could go on back, and the dentist would talk with me about what they did." The dentist was waiting for me when I got back there. He asked how I was doing. To this I answered, "Not good." This has probably been one of the hardest things I have had to do as a Mom! He was a very compassionate and understanding man; he explained to me everything that they did and assured me that Leah did great.

The tooth was as bad as he thought it would be. When the decay was cleared away, the nerve tissue was exposed. They did a therapeutic pulpotomy and put a stainless-steel crown on her tooth. I am thrilled to report that Leah has done great since the appointment and seems to have no side effects from the meds she had to be on this morning. As we were leaving the dentist's office, Leah said she was hungry. Her appetite has also been good the rest of today. Leah has taken pride in opening her mouth wide and showing us her "new tooth." The first time she looked into the mirror and saw the color of it, she had a look of slight surprise on her face.

So, that's where my heart is this evening as I reflect back on this day. Allow me to share the words that ministered to me this morning once again to you ~~ "I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts...."

She made it....and I did too!
~Wee

Edited to add the following: When I was brushing Leah's teeth tonight before bed, she once again pulled out her mirror to check out her tooth. I then showed her my lovely teeth with all the silver fillings, and she said, "Oh, you have one right there like me. Me have big one like this (demonstrates by putting one arm way above her head and one arm down below); you have baby one."

A Prayer for our Husbands

I recently came across these words penned by Elisabeth Elliot and wanted to share them with you.....

Lord, grant me the vision of a true lover as I look at my husband. Help me to see him through Your eyes, to read the thoughts he does not put into words, to bear with his human imperfections, remembering that he bears with mine and that You are at work in both of us.

Thank you, Lord, for this man ~~ Your carefully chosen gift to me ~~ and for the privilege of being heirs together of the grace of life.

Help me to make it as easy and pleasant as I possibly can for him to do Your will.

Help me to help him be all that you have called him to be. Amen.

~Wee

The Polar Express

How fitting that the weather has turned extremely cold just in time for the girls' dance performance of The Polar Express this weekend! It feels like we're already at the North Pole!! They have worked hard since the beginning of November, with practice every Saturday morning (in addition to their weekly classes), learning their ballet number, all the songs, and hand motions that go along with them. They had two dress rehearsals this week. Three shows are scheduled for this weekend, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.
In this year's performance, they are "snowflakes" and, therefore, were able to wear their same costumes from last year's showcase (which was in May). This year's show is a mix of showing portions of the movie The Polar Express, ballet, tap and jazz numbers, acting, and singing.
The girls in front of the train on the stage.

Lots of "snowflakes"waiting to take their positions.
Leah was mesmerized watching the dancers on stage.
~Wee

On the Move

Remember our traveling nativity? Well, they're on the move once again, this time on the back of a semi.

~Wee

Hidden Inside

My recent trip to the dentist revealed that I have a cavity. To fill you in, allow me to back up to a year ago...

After the hygienist cleaned my teeth, she asked me if I had any problems. I stated that occasionally (rarely at that) when I floss, I feel a sensitivity between the teeth that I then pointed out to her. Her reply was (after she took another look at the x-rays), "Oh, there it is." Anyway, after the dentist came in to do his exam, we discussed the x-rays. My impression from our discussion, and the fact that it rarely bothered me, was that it was "no big deal, nothing to worry about." In hindsight, I think he was really saying, "It's no big cavity; just take care of it; all will be fine..."

I realize now that I shouldn't have taken his laid-back manner for granted. Not dealt with at the time, this decay has been given the freedom to grow and penetrate further into the tooth. Although still causing no problems, it was still there; it didn't go away on it's own. This week I had to go back in and have the decay drilled out. Since it was VERY close to the nerve tissue, it's a waiting game to see if the tooth will now heal on it's own.

So, while I'm waiting, I'm thinking.....about how sin in our lives is sometimes "hidden" to others, or to the outside world, but it is not "hidden" from our Heavenly Father who created us and knows every intricate detail about us. I'm resting in the fact that He knows if any bacteria has already creeped into the blood stream, and He has all power to heal the tooth if it is in His will to do so. And, while I'm waiting, I'm asking God to reveal any sin in my heart so it can properly be exposed to His light, drilled out and replaced with reflections of His character.
~Wee

The Nativity

With my brother's help yesterday, we got the house decorated for Christmas. I love the glow of the lights shining at night and the Christmas music playing in the background. Each year the girls spend hours playing with the nativity set, re-enacting the old familiar story or creating a new story in its entirety. I don't mind them playing with the set, but I do have to resist (at times) getting upset that our nativity never stays arranged "nicely." This is proving to be a repeat year yet again of arranging, rearranging, re-rearranging, you get my drift!

Today I walked into the room and found a camel and a king over on the fireplace. When I went to put them back, this is how I found the figurines! Notice the sheep perched upon the candles?...

...or, how about the bale of hay on the donkey's head?Still yet another arrangement! See the angel in the wheelchair?

By the way, all three pictures were taken at different times through this day alone!

~Wee

Happy Thanksgiving

Our family wishes each of you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving! We have enjoyed the visit from my parents and my brother Wes. We have enjoyed the time together eating too much, playing games, sharing good laughs -- many blessings for which we are thankful! We miss those who aren't here.
~Wee

Out with the Old; In with the New

Recently Grace had a loose tooth pulled. When the tooth was "hanging there by a thread," she just wasn't herself. She was in pain. The loose tooth caused pain when eating, talking, etc. Whatever she did, the culprit of her pain was still there. The night Daddy encouraged her to pull the tooth out, it took over 45 minutes to convince her that once it was out, she'd feel much better. She finally mustered up enough courage to allow Daddy to grip and pull, and it was over before she knew it!There was still pain involved in the "extraction" of the tooth. She cried. However, Daddy was there, with the warmth of his chest and the strength of his arms around her, offering his love, support and encouragement. Leah, who watched the whole episode, also cried as she witnessed what Grace was experiencing. So, across the table from Grace and Daddy, I had Leah in my arms, offering consolation. It hurts to see others in pain.
Thinking back over the events of that night, a word-picture came to mind. I find that this is what it's like for us to daily die to our flesh. Living a life of surrender to the Lord can be "painful" in the earthly sense as we constantly die to our flesh, or give up our desires, our wants, needs, etc., and strive to walk in obedience to what God is asking us to do at the time. I am convicted about how I speak to my children, how I respond under stress, how I tend to worry when business is slow, etc. It's painful to see my sin and the "pain" that it causes not just me, but others as well. A loose tooth has to be removed before the brand new tooth can emerge. Our sin must be "gripped and pulled out" daily before the Spirit of God can emerge and shine through our life. Remember, God is there with His loving arms around us, encouraging us to keep our focus on Him. He has a plan for every life and provides special gifts and the empowerment to carry out that plan. He also promises to meet every one of our needs in His timing and in accordance with His will!

So, just as Leah made her recent trip to the dentist for a check-up, I am reminded of our need to make "frequent" trips to the Word of God. It is the source of all truth about God and ourselves. It provides what we need to live a godly life that is characterized by surrender to the Lord's control, submission to His plan for our lives, and a daily yielding to the Spirit's guidance.

~Wee

in continuation...

God's timing is so perfect! I just had to share! The very next day after my last post, my devotional took me to 2 Chronicles 20 where King Jehoshaphat received news that a great army was coming against Israel. Knowing that victory over their enemies was outside their own abilities, they asked the Lord to intervene on their behalf. The Lord, in turn, encouraged Israel with these words, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army (our daily "battles," or whatever comes our way). For the battle is not yours, but God's......You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.....Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

May you be encouraged in your walk with the Lord today.
~Wee

Equipped for Battle

A few weeks ago my devotional challenged us to intentionally put on our spiritual armor every day for seven days straight. We were encouraged to put on one piece at a time, meditating on Ephesians 6:10-18 while doing so.

Each morning we get up, we are stepping onto a battlefield. The enemy is all around us, assaulting our hearts and minds with temptations, adversities, emotional attacks, and much more. Some days, it feels as though we are standing on the front lines of combat with no protection whatsoever. We do, however, have protection in these battles. The Lord hasn't sent us to war unprotected. No indeed, His provision for us is a suit of armor that the enemy can't penetrate.

Unlike clothing, we can't "see" the armor when we put it on each day. But it's there. The armor equips us to stand against the devil's schemes. I have to remember that my struggles are not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Those battles are not visible. That's HUGE. We need the full armor of God on EVERY moment of our day in order to stand strong in the face of adversity and firm in battle. Remember, the armor is as real as the clothes on our backs.

And, so I encourage you to take the challenge, if you don't already, to dress for battle and watch what God will do in your life!

~Wee

P.S. I guarantee that once you commit to physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, etc., put your armor on for seven days straight, you won't stop!

Isn't She a Beauty!?

LMG came to me this morning and said, "Mommy, look." Pretty cute, wouldn't you say!? At least she picked a color that matched not only her outfit, but also her coloring! When I took her into the bathroom to allow her to see for herself her work of art, she acted almost shy toward the little girl with dark lips staring back at her from the other side of the mirror. She wasn't so sure about having lipstick-smeared lips (who would?:)) and wanted to wipe them off, which she did so all by herself.

This morning during school, LMG went out on the deck and proceeded to get a splinter buried deep into her right heel. She didn't cry about it, but after getting it, she developed a new walk -- step, tippee toes, step, tippee toes (you get the idea). Upon investigating the reason for her new mode of transportation, I found the biggest splinter I have ever seen (no exaggeration!!). Much to her dismay, I attempted my hand at removing the unwelcome sliver of wood. To no avail. Of course, by now she was crying! Remember my post about how LMG likes holding my thumb? Well, it's a little difficult trying to maneuver a needle with my right hand while my left hand is trying to hold the foot steady and in position as my thumb is being pulled the opposite direction in a tight little grip. Maybe if I had bigger hands (or perhaps a longer thumb), it would've worked. I don't know. We'll just have to wait for the splinter-removing expert to return tomorrow night to attempt removal again. Hopefully, it's okay in the meantime.

I have been busy this week preparing to teach our science co-op lesson tomorrow on different types of rocks. In preparation, we have had fun picking up and examining rocks around our landscape, trying to decipher what type of rocks they were. Anyway, while the girls were at their piano lessons this afternoon, LMG and I took advantage of another nice day and went for a walk (per her request). On our journey around the neighborhood, we found a pile of rocks around a group of mailboxes. We parked the stroller, sat down on the sidewalk and looked at rocks. LMG would pick up a rock and ask, "Is this an exciting one?" If the answer was "no," she'd put it back. If the answer was "yes," she'd add it to her own little pile. We were probably an interesting sight to see out there perched on the sidewalk next to the road, especially since LMG was sporting her Pooh slippers (to help cushion the splintered heel). I love it. I'm just grateful for those special moments with my girls.

~Wee

Leaves, Leaves, and More Leaves....

With the weather unseasonably warm (no complaints here!) this week, we have enjoyed lots of time outdoors. Yesterday before lunch, we were drawn to the back deck to finish up some seat work. What a beautiful day! (Of course, once I saw them working, I had to run back in and grab the camera.) MEG's working on her vocabulary and GVG on her math.

Here is what our break time turns into these days -- leaves, leaves, and more leaves. Today's contest was to see who could jump the pile without touching one leaf.

GVG takes her shot.

LMG doesn't quite make it across. Yep, she's sporting a tutu.

Now it's MEG's turn.
~Wee

Election Coverage

Before bed last night, we sat down as a family and watched the first hour or so of the results of the voting. The girls had their red and blue colored pencils ready and filled in the states as the results were reported.

The girls and I went to vote at 10 a.m., and still had to stand in line for an hour. The election judges allowed the girls to go behind the booth with me, so I was able to explain and show them what I was doing and how the ballot worked. It's been a great experience.

We have to trust and rest in the sovereignty of God's perfect will. When we feel fearful, we can pray. When we are frustrated, we can pray. When important decisions need to be made, we can pray. Prayer -- it's all we can do.
~Wee

Cast Your Vote

The girls by the sign in our front yard.

The girls finished up their "Election of a President" lap books today in school. Our last flap to fill in was regarding the pros and cons of the electoral college. On the back of their lap book is a map of the United States, on which they filled in the number of electoral votes each state has. They are looking forward to coloring in the voting results of each state (Republican or Democratic) as we watch the election coverage tomorrow night. I plan on taking them with me when I vote in the morning so they can witness yet another step of this process.

Last weekend Sarah Palin was here in FW. Since the event was televised, the girls sat down and watched it with us. It has been fun and interesting having them involved in discussions and hearing their own opinions of the candidates as their understanding grows.

Please remember to be prayerful as you cast your vote.
~Wee

The End of the Season

Here we are at the end of this year's soccer season. What a great season it was, too! So fun to watch! That's what I'll miss the most now that it's over -- watching these kids play so effectively together as a team. Today's game was against the green team; it ended in a tie. They had an undefeated season, opening and ending with a tie. Pre-game pep talk.

The girls really learned a lot about the game this year under Coach's leadership. He "taught" them the game -- positioning, etc., and played them according to the strengths of each one. They matured in their confidence and as players.

After the game, Coach presented each player with their trophy and shared how each one impacted the game. Below are his exact words regarding MEG and GVG (as re-captured from the video).

"I want to tell you a little bit about MEG. I don't know if we have anyone on our team that is faster than her. We weren't the biggest team, but I think our speed is what always helped us, and MEG was a real key part of that. We have a lot of fast kids and she's one of those fast kids. She scored a goal this year. She was in her best when she was mid-fielder. Good job, MEG."

"GVG is another one of the smallest kids on our team, but she's fast and she also was unafraid. She was willing to play goalie for us here toward the end of the season, which is --{addressing the parents, "I don't know, parents, if you've ever played goalie, it doesn't look like it would be that hard, but I'm no good at it because I've tried. I thought it would be easy.--"} {back to GVG, "So, whenever someone is willing to step up and take that ball coming at them full speed, which GVG had many of those happen on defense and at goalie, that takes a lot of bravery. Though she's small, yet she's mighty."

After presenting the trophies, Coach addressed the team, "I've coached here now about five years and this was by far the funnest year. I loved watching how you kids turned into a team from a bunch of individual players. That was really a delight."

Hope you were able to enjoy their season from your angle. GOOD JOB, GIRLS!!!

~Wee

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to Daddy,
Happy Birthday to you!

LMG's translation is "Happy Bir-bay....."

Our neighbor made AGG a cherry pie for his birthday today. She also brought over homemade chocolate chip cookies for the kiddos. The girls had fun getting everything ready for Daddy's little family party after dinner.


~Wee

Knock Knock

Knock knock
Who's there?
Nana (translated "banana")
Banana Who?
Nana spit (translated "banana split")

This is what LMG asked me this morning.
~Wee

Week No. 6

Under semi-cloudy skies and wrapped in my Illini blanket (I love supporting the Illini amongst this Hoosierland!), we took in the next to last game. Today's game was against the red team. The final score was 4-1, our win.

MEG played goalie one quarter, but saw little to no action. It seemed our team spent the majority of the game in their opponent's half of the field. The rest of the game, she played forward or mid-field. MEG approaches the ball at great speed and prepares to drive down the field. (She inherited her speed from her G'ma B. and her Daddy;))
Here, she kicks the ball around her opponent.

Look how wide open she is!

When GVG played defense, she, too, saw very little action. She also played as a forward and mid-fielder. On defense, GVG kicks the ball away from the goal and back up field.

I am so proud of how well GVG stays with her opponent. She doesn't back off and allow them access to the ball. She stays right there with it. (She's no. 8, approaching the ball.)

GVG approaching her opponent.

And driving the ball towards the goal. MEG is no. 5.

Since there are about six players on our team that know each other well, it has been so fun watching them play as teammates throughout this season! Our section of onlookers is definitely the loudest! It's just plain fun!!

~Wee

Under the Lights

Out of the eight games of the season, there is a Thursday night "under the lights" game. Tonight was that night. Our team faced the yellow team for the third and final time. They ended the game with a whopping 5-0 win! Out of the five goals, three of them were by different players, which really shows the well-roundedness of the team as a whole. MEG stops the ball from behind.
MEG played all four quarters, but received a rest in the final quarter when she took a ball to the stomach. She showed such compassion for the opposing team when, after the game, she told me she "felt sorry for that team since they haven't won a game yet this season."

The girls were excited about tonight's game mostly because Daddy was the "coach" (since Coach was out of town) and was able to watch an entire game!
Coach "Daddy" gives MEG her position assignment.

~Wee

Week No. 5

The soccer season is officially half over. Only three games remain. Another crisp fall day was on tap for today's early morning game against the "yellow" team. This is the team with a few "bullies" amongst them. I am proud of how the girls don't allow that to keep them from going after the ball. GVG did an awesome job in dribbling the ball around the little fellow in the pictures below, which apparently brought some remarks from him.

GVG and MEG have the ball here. The boy in yellow on the right is one of the above-mentioned bullies.

It was a hard-fought game, with (it seems) some extra unnecessary roughness. Our team won 1-0.

While playing as forwards, this is how close they came to the goal several times (MEG left; GVG center).
MEG (left) and GVG (right).

LMG and Mommy cheering our team on. It was chilly just sitting there on the sidelines, but by the end of the game, the sun was starting to warm us up.

As a mid-fielder, MEG prepares to pass up to a forward.

MEG turning the ball to head towards the opponent's goal. GVG (in blue) is on far left.

Enjoying their post-game goodies from the concession stand.

~Wee