Skirt Finished!

It fits perfectly and she has loved wearing it to church the last couple of weeks!  Thank-you Grandma B. for making the slip (I hemmed it with the ribbon and it looks pretty:)

ER Avoided

I was okay with Seth wanting to buy a whittling knife for his birthday.  I have supervised him using Nicolas' on a couple occasions and he does very well.   Since Nicolas received whittling gloves for Christmas a couple years ago, we haven't had any serious cuts or ER visits.  I might have changed my mind, however...

A few nights ago Russ, Seth, and I took a quick trip to Walmart after supper leaving Caleb in charge of the other three.  When we arrived home Caleb told us that Lydia had cut her leg while whittling with Nicolas' knife.  He assured us that it wasn't too deep, that he bandaged it up for her, and she just went happily upstairs to play with Anna afterwards (where she was when we arrived home).  I did express some annoyance at her choice of activities while we were away, especially since I have never known her to whittle.

Anyway, as I am putting groceries away and cleaning up the kitchen, Caleb sits down on the bar stool and begins to give a few more details on the injury.  

"I don't think it needed stitches.  I mean, it was kind of wide, but not deep."

I am doing the distracted listening thing that mom's do so well, but must have shown some kind of confusion on my face at his description.  I know that as I was listening I was trying to figure out what he meant by "wide".  Maybe...the cut went to the side like a slice--wide, but not deep?  Or she whittled a slice of top skin off?

Seeing the confusion Caleb went on, "Well, it is like a line, but wide.  It didn't look deep though."

Now he had my undivided attention.  I stopped putting groceries away and turned to face him.   "Uh, Caleb, usually if the cut is wide, it is because it is deep and gapping open."  

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense.  I feel really stupid."  

Lydia was called downstairs so I could take off the very nice bandage that Caleb fixed her up with and take a look at the injury.  My first words:  "This definitely needs stitches."  

Immediate wailing from the injured girl.  She had a very clean thin line cut that went fairly deep so it gapped open nicely.   After a quick physiology lesson on the nice scar she would have if we let the cut heal without stitches, I found I was able to approximate the edges of the cut very nicely with my fingers.  So, instead of an ER visit we were able to close it up beautifully with three butterfly band-aids and instructions not to bend her knee too far during the night. 

Caleb apologized profusely and said he felt so dumb about not recognizing the seriousness of the cut. We have been teasing him about the "wide, but not deep" comment until he reminded us that because he didn't think it was too bad, Lydia didn't cry at all after it happened.    So true!  If Caleb had realized how deep it was right after it happened and had gone on "stitches" panic mode, Lydia would have been an absolute basket case by the time we got home.   So, in the end, Caleb is still the hero of this story.  

And I'm still not sure about the whittling knife for Seth.

Seth Turns 8

When deciding what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday this year, Seth went on-line and found a picture of what he wanted.  That is actually kind of nice because you don't have to try to figure out what they are explaining to you and then get it wrong.  We might still not have gotten it quite right, but, hey, we are not professional cake decorators!  Basically, what he wanted was a cake in the shape of a book with a Bible verse on one side and his name on the other.  

For awhile Seth wanted a bird for his birthday and planned to spend his birthday money on purchasing a bird and all the supplies.  He was so cute.  He went on the computer and itemized everything on a couple scraps of paper to see how much it would cost to get a bird.  Now, though, he isn't so sure that is still what he wants.   So far he has spent money on two Wii games--Lego Star Wars, which he loves to play with Nicolas, and Disney Just Dance, which is really a hoot when dad gets involved.    He still has quite a bit of money to spend and is looking into his own whittling knife/book/gloves and he also has a few Lego sets in mind.  Like a typical 8-year-old his "needs" change every week.

One Month

This past Tuesday marked one month since we have been in Boise, ID.  Here are some things we accomplished in that time:

1.  Unpacked boxes.  I would say that all the boxes that we want unpacked at this time are unpacked.  The rest are on storage shelves in the third stall of the garage.

2.  Painted the kitchen, living room, and music room.  CJ accomplished this already the first week we were here.  He disliked the color that much.   We also put knobs on the kitchen cupboards and changed the doorknobs in the kitchen area.  This is a gradual project as it is a little spendy, but it will eventually all get painted and "re-knobbed".  Hopefully, the linoleum in the kitchen can also be replaced in the near future.

BEFORE:

AFTER

3.  Hung pictures and curtains.  We have three windows that need blinds and those are on order!

4.  Visited MANY grocery stores to get an idea of where to buy what:  Fred Meyer, Win-co, Walmart, Costco, and Rosauers.

5.  Checked out books at the Main library and at the closer branch on Ustick and Cole.  Our first batch of books is due today, so we will be making another trip soon.

6.  Found music teachers.  I looked into string teachers first as the boys really needed some coaching for the Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestra auditions.  Nicolas seems to like his cello teacher and she is totally flexible with lessons/times.  CJ is not as excited about his teacher, so we are pursuing new options and have a few leads.   The piano teacher for the girls is a member of the church.  She said she took lessons with my cousins Alaine and Denise in California.  She is more expensive than we are used to, so we may hold off on giving lessons to Seth for another year.

7.  Started school.  We are on week three of home school already and are falling into a pretty good routine.  The boys started school the same week we did (actually why we started so early).  School seems going well for the boys, and they appear to be making good friends.   We enjoyed meeting all their teachers at the parent orientation night.  At the last minute we realized that both boys needed their own notebook/laptop for the school year.  Since it was a bit of a financial commitment it made the week before school quite hectic. We had to research the computers, find out who had the best deal, and then figure out where the stores were located!

8.  Attended our first cross-country meet as Cole Valley Charger fans.  After an extremely disappointing soccer try-out week at the large public school in our district (their Christian school does not have soccer), Caleb decided to go out for cross-country instead.  His coach is awesome and truly understands running/coaching.   Nicolas did not choose another sport this fall after having been cut from soccer.  I do see him working on soccer skills in the yard every now and then, though.

9.  Celebrated two birthdays and a 20th wedding anniversary.  I will give Seth his own "birthday" blog post.

10.  Russ and I got our Idaho driver's license.  My Michigan license expired on my birthday, so it kind of forced the issue.  We even had to take a written test.  Good to know we are still acquainted with the rules of the road.  Caleb still needs to get his changed and Nicolas needs to get the ball rolling on his driver's education and permit.

11.  Bought a second vehicle.  We were planning on going smaller than a Ford Expedition, but small, used SUVs are impossible to buy around here (at least not in our price range).  Since everyone seems to have them, I wonder if they are just in high demand?  The gas mileage will not be so great, but I do like the fact that the boys have a little more between them and the next car, we can all fit in it, we can use it for hauling things, and we can tow with it.  Not sure what we are towing, but we have the option!

Doesn't she make a cute car model?

12.  Visited the downtown Farmer's Market.  Just this past Saturday we walked the Farmer's Market downtown like we did with Terry and Julie Ribbens when we first visited.   We bought some doughnuts and just enjoyed looking at the booths.  The kids were happy to get a glimpse of what downtown Boise looks like, although Anna could have done without all the people:)

13.  Hiked Table Rock.  On Labor Day, Caleb's cross-country team had plans to run up Table Rock in the morning and then go out for ice cream.  We decided we would hike it as a family that morning too.   We hiked the 4-mile loop while CJ and his team ran up/down a different route for a total of 9 miles!  CRAZY!!  We were at the top when the team ran up and Caleb just breathed as he passed me:  "That. Was. The. Hardest. Run. Ever!"

The trail we took to the top of Table Rock started by the Old Penitentiary.  I believe I read that it is now a museum and open for tours. 

Cross-country team at the top of Table Rock

14.  Getting more comfortable with a new church and church family.  Between the church picnic, visiting with church members before and after church, and being invited to a few homes, we are doing pretty well with putting names with faces.  As we settle more into a routine we look forward to eventually reciprocating their hospitality.

Although this first month of the move has not been without difficult moments, homesickness, or tears, I know we can all say that none of this could have been accomplished without God's gracious provision.   We especially felt this as God worked through the generosity and prayers of His Body.   While we keenly feel the separation from family, we realize we are not in the remote areas of Africa fighting the Ebola virus either!  We are living in a comfortable home surrounded by the beauty of God's creation (just a different beauty than what we were used to), and family is only a phone call, text, or Skype away!  (Or a plane trip, or two day car ride).  Caleb and I (probably the most melancholy of the family) have decided that we have a more positive attitude while looking forward to what God has in store for us here and now rather than looking backward to what has been.  So that is what we do with God's help!