A Thankful Heart

Where do I begin? For my family, for my health, for the food on my table....for my table! For the fact that Almighty God considers me a friend. I am so thankful!

Here's the eldest daughter (she's the second one from the right...with the goofy eyes) at her pre-school thanksgiving lunch. It's been fun learning the whole American thanksgiving story as Jerusha learns it. We had the honour of joining some dear friends for their thanksgiving meal, we had a great time watching football, playing games and chasing kids around.

We also had a former student from Washington at our home for the long weekend. Mike Moorman just came in from Iraq 10 days before thanksgiving (his base is 4 hours from Cincinnati) and was able to join us. We are so grateful that he is back in the country and safe and it was an honour to have him at our house. Jerusha had him making mud pies with her in the back yard and playing football. Naomi was unsure about Mike, but by the end of the weekend she was hugging and blowing kisses.

House Update

I thought I'd take a minute and fill you in on our house situation. We are still currently at the Sabbath House, the church's parsonage. We have been waiting a long, long time to hear about the house that we put an offer on. We have come to understand that the situation (banks are nervous, the economic bailout, and the former owners filing for bankruptcy, the fact that there are two banks involved) is to blame for the long wait. We heard that they are now working on our offer, but every "back and forth" is taking a long time. In the meantime, we have begun to look elsewhere. It's very difficult to let the house go (which technically we haven't yet, we're still in contract with it) and understand that it may not be where we will call home, BUT, it's just a house, and we know that where ever God places us we will be happy and very thankful. I am looking forward to serving supper on our dishes and putting my babies to bed in their own beds. So, we would covet your prayers that this situation would be resolved soon and that we would continue to rely on God's faithfulness.

Mama Knows

Can you tell the difference? Noamers has a much loved "blankie". So loved, in fact, that she carries it everywhere, much like Linus from Charlie Brown. Anyways, knowing my daughter, I decided to buy a back-up, just in case something should happen to the original. Tonight I caught a whiff of Original Blankie and whew! It was stinky, no wait, it was stanky! (this happens when a toddler sucks on it daily). It happened to be close to bed time so I took the OB (original...) and gave Noamers the NB (New Blankie). She looked at it, felt it and then...she smelled it. She looked up at me and gave it right back. I tried it a little later and it was a no-go. What was I

thinking? A mama always knows her own!

A Jerusha Moment

Just a quick story that made me chuckle and I thought I'd share it with you...

We were looking at our wedding pictures, Jerusha loves all things flowers and pretty dresses. So she asks "where was I?" I told her that she wasn't there. She hadn't been born yet. She understands that babies that aren't born yet are in their Mom's tummies, so the next question..."was I in your tummy?" "no" I reply and go on to tell her that grown-ups fall in love, get married and then have children. Puzzled and a little perplexed my eldest daughter then asks...."was I in the bathroom?" at which point I could tell she was getting very concerned and finally she whirls around at looks at me incredulously, "DID YOU LEAVE ME AT HOME?!?!?" Apparently it was very inconsiderate of Jeremy and me to not invite her to her own parents' wedding.

Trick or Treat!

Our church tried a new event where people from the church bring their cars to the parking lot (wait, it gets better) and decorate their trunks. They provide a bunch of candy and the kids can go from car to car trick or treating. We had a great time together and many people from the community brought their kids. This was the first time that either of our girls had ever trick or treated. Now that Jerusha has seen how this whole deal works, with the dressing up and the free candy well, she was quite impressed. Naomi had a good time being a monkey, she was by far the cutest as she enjoyed roaming free. Jerusha was a beautiful Cinderella and charmed all who met her.

Hockey Night in Cincinnati

Alright, so it may not look like it, but this is the girls playing their version of hockey. Jerusha found something that had a stick on it and we "dropped the puck". Unfortunately, I took the picture when Jerusha incurred a 2 minute penalty for tripping. Keep your stick on the ice!

The Beginning...

This September, Jerusha started preschool. I have to admit I'm still getting over it. She goes to King of Kings Preschool and her teacher is Mrs. Fenstermaker. She's doing such a good job. She's beginning to read and her printing is coming along ("s" is a tricky one!) It's amazing to think that this is just the beginning of a long road of education. We always knew she was a genius, now she'll just have to prove us right (we're counting on scholarships for college!). We are so proud of her.

Here's her class on a field trip to the local fire department.

Thank You Auntie Pam

Jerusha's first dental experience was not a good one....at all. So immediately afterwards I called up Pam and told her what had happened and like the good Auntie that she is, she got Roo back in the chair and made it all better. Thank you so much Pam!

Go West Young Man...Woman...and Children...

During our time in the west, we went back to Washington and visited our former church and saw some dear friends. we also took a bit of time to see the ocean...something I think everyone should see. I know Noamers won't remember it, but we have pictures :)

Something about the ocean, about the big-ness of it points to how big my God is. I find it easy to be made aware of how small I am and how immense His love for me must be that he would think of me.





Welcome to the shore, little one!

I found a moment.....

In the True North

This summer, we went for an adventure! The entire Stobbe clan went up to "the Lake" a place my family has been going to since I was 2. I have a lot of wonderful memories there and it was thrilling to make some new memories with my own family. Taking bike rides with Jerusha, walking with Naomi, riding dirt bikes in the mountains with Jeremy...I completely understand why my parents spent the money on such a place. That is something I really appreciate about my parents. I know there were other places they could have spent their money, but they chose to invest in a place were we could be together and make memories...relationships first.

Here's Grandpa Stobbe with the newest Biker Babe!




Dad and John took on the 3 amigos. Isaac and Roo loved being in the canoe...Megan loved stepping back on dry land!

Jerusha had a blast camping. That girl was made to be outside! (she's a girl after my own heart!) She got Uncle Tim to teach her how to make the best s'mores in the whole world...and Tim, you'd be proud, we made s'mores the other day and she hasn't forgotten her lesson. She also got Uncle John to teach her how to fish....something that I refuse to be a part of on the account that I hate fish. But Jerusha loved it. She got a bunch of motorbike rides from anyone that would agree to it.

My apologies...I haven't kept this up as diligently as I wanted to BUT....here we go.....are you ready?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAOMI!!!

Our sweet baby turned 1 on August 9th. We had her party at Mom and Dad's (Stobbe's) house with our dear family. It was such a treat to be together. I am so proud of Naomi.....she has become such a darling. She likes to check everything out before she tries something. She's thoughtful about the things she does.....and she's incredibly cute! She's also very loyal. The other day a comb (of all things) caught her fancy and she held on to that comb the entire day. She played with one hand, she ate with one hand, she pulled her sister's hair with one hand all so she could keep her paws on her comb. Finally at the end of the day I was able to extract it from her hand once she fell asleep. Her character is coming out and we love watching her as each day she has something to new to show us.

For Auntie Pam!

Here is Naomi, very proud of her pearly whites.......getting ready for Auntie Pam!

Heaven

This last week the girls and I made two trips to the airport. Monday night we picked up Jeremy and the students, and here we are Wednesday meeting up with Tina and the kids.

As we waited we watched people being reunited with one another. Some were nonchalant while others were thrilled to be together again and were very unashamed to show it. It caused me to think about heaven, about what it will be like as we arrive. How we waited and longed for our family to arrive, how sweet it was to run up and hug them! No more departures, only arrivals...heaven!

It's just another Manic Monday

This is how you know it's a Monday (or at least it was when I took this picture). Jerusha experiences the joy that is taking care of unruly hair......While her mother can sympathize with this issue, her grandpa Stobbe cannot.















Poor girl, here she is, things getting stuck in her hair and I can't stop laughing at her. I'm sure, no wait, I KNOW my mom laughed at me....it's a parental right.

Jeremy is in Mississippi on a mission trip with the Senior High students. They are rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. It's hard to believe that people are still rebuilding after 3 years, and unfortunately, there's a lot more to do. All the Taylor ladies are proud of Jeremy and the work he does, we're just ready to be together again.

The other evening as we finished our prayers, Jerusha asked "is he (dad) finished seeing her?"
"what?"
"is he finished seeing her yet?"
"who?"
"Mrs. Sippy"
This whole week Jerusha thought Jeremy and the Students were visiting someone. So we pulled out the map and looked at where he was. Naomi, on the other hand, is busy doing what she does....eat, sleep, and, well, you know. She's working on her walking so there's often a new bruise to look for. She's becoming very playful and loves to play hide and seek. I think she said "mama" yesterday, I'm not certain that's what she was going for, but we're working hard on it!

We're busy getting ready for our "special visitors" that will arrive next Wednesday. Tina (my sister-in-law) and Isaac and Megan (nephew and niece) are coming to spend a week with us. We have badly missed our Washington family and Jerusha talks often about Megan and Isaac. The fun part is that Roo doesn't know who it is that is coming. Each day she gets another clue about who the "special visitors" are, but as of today, she still hasn't figured it out.

New Jerusalem

Welcome to our shop! Our church is doing VBS this week and our theme is the Jerusalem Market. It's an all church affair with many adults helping and everyone dressing up. Jeremy and I are doing the carpentry shop and we help the children make dreidels and talk about what we're learning that evening.














Our little darlings ready for their evening....doesn't Naomi look like she's having fun? And yes, that is Puffalump (in costume no less)that Jerusha is holding, he's very much a part of this family!












Jerusha is in the tribe of Benjamin with other kids her age. Here they are singing and dancing in a circle.....that Mennonite blood runs true....this is as close to dancing as she's going to get!

Oh Say Can You See?

What fun to celebrate two countries national holidays so close together! Fireworks, food and friends are always a good idea. Jeremy came home from his junior high mission trip to Tennessee and we hopped in the van and joined our friends, the Gibbs family, for a party. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so you'll just have to imagine how good-looking we were in our red white and blue. We had a great time and it was fun to be all together as a family again.

O Canada!

Happy Birthday Canada...and Uncle Tim!
Although there were no parades or fireworks, the Canadian representatives in Ohio had a good time anyway. We had a lovely picnic and wore our red and white proudly.
Now that the cicadas are gone our lives have greatly improved. It is such a treat to play outside without using evasive maneuvers. The weather has been so nice, we've taken every chance we get to be outdoors. The pool is up and running, sunscreen is being applied and knees are getting scraped. Ah.....childhood!
After singing "O Canada" and "Happy Birthday" to Tim, we enjoyed some red and white dessert. We appreciate all of your birthdays because we get to eat cake in your honour!

House Update

I thought I'd get everyone up to date on our house situation. We finished the sale of our house in Aberdeen in March. We were so grateful for such a sweet first house and we have so many treasured memories there. Two weeks later we found the house that we would like to make our home. It's considered a "short sale" and it's been a bit of a tricky situation. We entered our offer to the owners and two banks that hold their mortgages, it was accepted by all three parties (which is great) and now the three parties are in negotiations about what to do with the money from the sale and the rest of the money that is owed (which is not so great). We heard that in these situations once the negotiations are complete the banks want to close in about a week (which is super-great). So we wait....again. I've begun packing and preparing for a quick move.

The house is wonderful, however it does need some cosmetic help before we can move in. So we're dreaming about colours and carpets. I am very ready to go home and make a safe place for my family. God has been so good to us, providing everything that we have needed, we are so grateful! Please pray with us that the sale of this house would be concluded and that we could finally finish our move to Ohio. We appreciate all your support as we continue our adventure. We'd love to have you to our home....you're all welcome!

The Heart of Rock and Roll...

... is in Cleveland...and so were we for a night. We spent the night in the home city of the rock and roll hall of fame and met up with Jeremy's parents. We played in the pool at the hotel and enjoyed a beautiful morning at the shore of Lake Erie. It was wonderful to catch up with dear family, even if it was very quick!
It was so great to play out side without worrying about nasty cicadas getting caught in our hair! Jerusha loved playing in the waves, something we have deeply missed doing since leaving the west coast.
Naomi ("Noamers" as she's called) and I at a rest stop, stretching our legs and downing some tasty strained beans...Mmmm.... Noamers has taken off with her crawling...literally. It has become a family endevour to keep track of where she is in relation to whatever she's not supposed to get into. She is ALWAYS on the move!

Happy Birthday!!!

Jerusha's enjoying the fizzy stuff....a rare treat! Jeremy turned 32 on Saturday....Happy birthday! We spent the afternoon at Findlay Farmer's Market enjoying the sights sounds and smells of downtown Cincinnati. It was a beautiful afternoon and we simply loved being together just our family as we navigated "Over the Rhine" which is the shady part of town, but it has a lot of character. Later in the evening Jeremy and I left the girls with a babysitter and went out for a date. I am so thankful for Jeremy and the adventure we get to share together.....was that a little sappy? You can deal with it...it's my blog :)

10 Months Today!

Here's the little Yankee Doodle, sitting by the pool, having a BBQ and generally enjoying baby-hood. Naomi has decided that she prefers to swim in a nicely warmed pool (or bath tub) and has no desire to splashing about willy-nilly in some chilly pool thank you very much. But she does look smashing in her swim suit doesn't she? Naomers (our nic-name for her) is crawling at super speeds and makes a bee-line for anything that looks like it belongs to Jerusha. She's also becoming familiar with certain songs and loves to do "actions" to them ("Joy Joy" is her favourite). She just made it to 18 pounds so every little roll that you see in this picture has been hard fought for! She is such a joy!

Lovely

"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise, O Lord." - Psalm 8:2

As we are inendated with these nasty secadas, I witnessed something lovely.

Jerusha got a new "polka dotty" dress, and for her, as with many little girls, the quality of the dress is in direct relation to how well it twirls. It doesn't matter if it fits, if it twirls, we'll take it! So there she was, oblivious to everything around her, singing "You Are My All in All" to God and completely enjoying all that it is to be a little girl. She was an absolute delight and I'm pretty sure her Heavenly Father was delighted too.

It caused me to think...when was the last time I put down my to-do list and just took in the moment and delighted in my Heavenly Father?......Maybe I'll go put on a dress.....

The Plague!!

The picture really doesn't do it justice. Last summer we heard of these nasty bugs called secadas. They are bugs that nest in the ground for (get this) 17 years and then rise up and there's a nasty infestation for about 2 months where they take over. They're about 2.5 inches long and they're even louder than traffic on the major highway. Yes, that's right, they rise up from the dead like zombies and fly around for a while and then die, only to return 17 years later. Doesn't this sound like an Egytptian plague? People talk as if this is normal....IT'S NOT!!! Well, now there's apparently a "pod" that is about to "hatch" this summer and we have begun to see evidence of them in our own backyard. Our original plan was to go on sabatical when the bugs where due to come out, but there's a new "pod" that has taken us off guard. I think I'll stock up on supplies and hide out...I like being outdoors and bugs don't usually bother me but these aren't bugs.....they're the un-dead!

A Family Visit

We had a wonderful visit from my (April) cousin Lydia Hamm and her husband Phil. It was such a treat to see them (it had been many years). We took in the Creation Museum in Kentucky the Conservatory and lots of visiting. Phil even worked on my computer and it's running nicely...Thanks Phil!

Lance Armstrong has nothing on us!

A beautiful Saturday afternoon beckoned us to the Loveland Bike Trail. It's a paved trail that goes through a historic part of town and then on for about 40 miles.....we didn't do the whole thing (obviously) Jerusha had become quite confident at riding her bike. She's even perfected her "wave while riding" technique. She was realizing that though she was concerned for her safety, she also wished to show camaraderie to the other bicyclists she came across. "How do I wave and not fall off?" she asked. So she thought about it and the next time we went for a ride she had it. Keeping her hand on the handle bars, she wiggles her fingers. She'd be more than happy to show you how, she gives tutorials on the Bike Trail to anyone who asks.

Naomi thus far has been a pretty content baby. I know it's not really fair to compare them, but Roo was quite motivated as a baby and Naomi has been happy to lay there and smile at you.....until this week. Something happened to that little girl, she saw something, she wanted it so she decided to go for it. And now that she realizes that crawling is a viable option there is no more sitting around for that girl! She is showing us a tenacious side of herself and we are loving it! What a joy to watch little girls grow!

We start them young! Naomi did a great job of, well, sitting there and looking cute, but she does it so well!

This would be so much easier with a belt! Jerusha is discovering the joy that is the Stobbe backside!

The Road is Narrow

When I think of Kentucky I usually think of Fried Chicken.... We spent a day in the Red River Gorge as a family before Jeremy left for school for two weeks. Jerusha proved to be a fearless hiker much to her parent's delight!

Welcome to our world!

Well, here we are. New to the whole blogging phenomenon and ready to get started. I hope you enjoy!