Game Night

I stayed close to the phone yesterday. Michael had a base event. The kids took advantage of the rain to play a rousing game - Gherkin style. 

Very unique new rules and maneuvers being called out by Nolan. 

I updated on Jared's condition  at the end of the previous post. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Prayers for Jared

Jared - our 19 yo son - was supposed to keep me young as he was born at my OLD AGE of 30. ::snort:: I think he's giving me gray!

Please say a quick prayer or two for Jared. He is currently being seen by the ER doc. He crashed at work; couldn't breathe and was pale.  They decided it would be quicker for Jamin (son who also works at Olive Garden) to take him to the ER than to have the ambulance come get him. Doc says heart arrhythmia.....and we're standing by and praying. He had a fever a week ago. But not high and doesn't have one now. He went to Austin last week and  has felt fine...just crashed rather quickly. 

He had the same sort of symptoms last year and it was pneumonia. 

Update: Xrays are normal. He does not have pneumonia. They are running tests. He was kept over night in the hospital for observation. As of Sunday at 4:15 TX time he is still in the hospital. 

He was laughing, felt like he was going to pass out, started having trouble breathing and then his face went numb. When they checked him at the ER his heart rate was 230. 

He insists he feels fine now - but we still don't have any real new news and he's still in the hospital. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Dancing in the Rain

It is RAINING. I'm an Oregonian at heart.....I love tropical rain storms. I love rainy days. We've not had rain for at least 4 months. Today, it is raining. 

What's one to do when it rains? I began by putting my suit on and sitting in the tub...and one by one  (starting with Stacia and ending with Zander) they all followed. Lovable lemmings.

Glorious! Big, fat rain drops and bubbles, warm water....heavenly.  And so we teach another generation to dance in the rain. 

I've been asked to make some hot chocolate mix. Yes, the time is right. Tea, hot chocolate, games, books and movies. Do you love rainy days? What's your favorite way to spend a rainy day. In the past, I simply kept moving with the "scheduled tasks"....I'm happy to have no scheduled tasks today. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Fun for All

We celebrated the end of the school week by meeting some friends at a park. We were surprised the water feature was still working. It was a nice time for the kids to run off energy and for me to get to know a new friend a bit better. 

We had fancy pizza for dinner as we were blessed to host Ch. W, in to help with a unit on base. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Produce Love

I wouldn't have loved this four years ago....but now I love it. It's just about enough for Arielle and I (with the others jumping in as they see fit) to eat in a week.   This week I'm learning how to roast peppers and fry okra. 

I must say the teeny tiny produce is a lot of work to process.....those on the right are chocolate peppers and they are yummy....but tiny. She suggested filling them with cream cheese and using as an appetizer...and that would be scrumptious - except I don't do cheese.

I filled in the edges at Walmart today. I do love the produce being picked in the a.m. and delivered to me hours later. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Wheels!

"Once we're all settled here, I  think I'm going to like CA." 

I'm not sure what "all settled" really means to Stacia...but one thing I did know....Stacia and Zander have been missing their bikes. They had outgrown their bikes and used them well; they simply weren't worth bringing back.....

 I bought Stacia a bike. Zander will take Nolan's bike over. Nolan is ready for a men's bike. Zander will get a brand new men's bike in about another 6 inches of growth I would think. LOL

I also bought them each a scooter. We'd promised them new ones when we left their old ones.

I think this is what being settled looks like

This morning the three of us went on a 40 minute bike ride. It was beautiful weather and were able to fully explore our subdivision. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Feels Like Monday

We thought we'd have a new van by this evening. We're content to wait. God knows what He is doing.  I'm thankful I have the beast to drive while we wait for Him to reveal a more appropriate set of wheels. ::grin:: 

Nolan had an appointment today. The doc used to be in the military. He called our insurance and gave them an earful. They called and told us they would authorize his meds/treatment as it was a "continuation of treatment." Um...many have already told them this on both sides of the ocean...but sometimes repetition is good.  In any event we thought this was Nolan's last appointment and last month of meds, but doctor wants to go another month. We are thankful Tricare finally authorized the conclusion of Nolan's treatment. 

Nolan and I toured a local gym. This is 8 minutes from our home instead of the 25 minutes to base. We are in the process of running the numbers. Would it be cheaper, over two years, for three of us to have memberships at the gym or to buy exercise equipment? I simply don't have two hours to dedicate outside of the home for daily workouts....and the gas prices are killing us in the beast. LOL 

It hit me today....I'm a stay-at-home-homeschooling mom who is FINALLY staying at home! We like that. We  school at our leisure. I am not subconsciously rushing to "get er done." It's a nice pace.  Still a lot to do each day; but we are all benefiting from being home more and not rushing to be done to play outside or attend the next meeting or activity.  The kids are sharing their hearts much more frequently and fully. We are caring for each other better. It's good. 

Reeves farm contacted me to discuss yesterday's mix up. They're bringing a box of veggies by tomorrow. 

We even had time to do two experiments today....one to demonstrate air pressure and lift......

Blowing over the top of the straw

As you blow over the top of the straw,  water is drawn up the straw and squirts out the top. 

Documenting the action isn't our favorite part

The second experiment was to make two gliders - one with short fat wings and one with longer rectangle wings - and see which would fly furthest and why.

Zander was thrilled to search through Dad's "killer tool box" for a tape measure.

Part of any experiment is the hypothesis. I asked Stacia, "Which glider do you think will fly the farthest?

"The one with the long wings."

"Why?" I expected to hear about drag, aerodynamics.....

"It looks like the wings on the airplanes and THEY flew all the way from Japan."

Who can argue with THAT logic? ::snort::

They were told they could color and decorate their planes; our kids preferred to use the Kashi logos.

We flew each plane 10 times - 40 flights in all. We averaged the distance. Zander's "worked." Stacia's - not so much. From her we learned it is nearly impossible to eliminate all but one variable. 

The booklets we made today

By the way - we have 500 straws (needed eight) and five lbs of clay (needed four little balls). If anyone has some great craft ideas send them my way. Zander says he can come up with ideas. I cringe.

This is a real man. Several 12+ hour days in a row...a very sore shoulder....still he came home and set about rebuilding broken furniture.

We'd appreciate your prayers for healing for Michael's shoulder. He's been granted a referral for an MRI. YES. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...