More "Where We've Been..."

And for part II of our time away, the kids and I headed over to Ohio to celebrate my Grandmother's upcoming 90th birthday! On our way over, we stopped to pick up my Mom and DS 2.
We had a lovely "pizza buffet" out at my Aunt Sandy's our first night in town. I'm telling ya' this crew can put away some pizza! It's always so fun going out there and hanging out at her place in the country. Relaxing and filled with fun and laughter.
DH flew his own plane up on Friday to join us. He spent time taking everyone who wanted to go for a short ride around the city and country. Here you see DS 3 and my brother SQUEEZED into the back ready for flight!

Here's the crew meeting the plane after a flight. I think in all there were four flights that day filled with happy passengers!

And later that evening, we gathered back out at Aunt Sandy's for Hot Dog cookout and more visiting.

Now one of the things we love to do when visiting our hometown is to go to the cemetary. It's just so inviting and interesting. We visit the graves of our family members that have gone on before us. This year, we found something new waiting for us there...DSs 2 and 3 thought it was a HOOT and decided to model the sign for us. For those of you who can't make this photo bigger, let me tell you the sign says: "Special Offer: Buy one grave, get the second grave free." So here the boys are showing you who ended up with the FREE one:

On Sunday, we met at a local park for the picnic to celebrate my Grandmother's upcoming 90th birthday. Here is a picture of her immediate family with children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren....This is only a fraction of the people who attended this special event for this very special lady.
Here's my grandmother, in the chair with her sister.
Here is another treat we got over the weekend...we got to my brother Dan's new GF. It's so neat to see the two of them enjoy each other and be so happy!

So there you have it....Parts 1 and 2 of "Where We've Been...". Hope all's well in blogger land!

As Another Week Closes...

What an interesting week we've had!

After driving back from our trip to the beach last Saturday, it was pretty much back to the daily "summer grind".

LG began Dance Camp. One of our goals is to help her find ways to move and avoid being sedentary. She LOVES the stage and performance, so this seemed like a logical choice. It has been so positive for her. The week culminates in a mini-show that all the campers put on for their parents. There is no question that she loves performing and all that goes with it. So, I'd say it was a great match!

DS 3 and I drove to Miami last night to pick up my DS 2 and his GF and a crew that has been on the mission field in Nicaragua. They had plenty of room for either bodies or luggage, but not both. So, DS 3 and I carried the luggage home and they carried all the youth home.

For us, this is a 3 and 1/2 hour trip to that airport. DS 3 drove and did a great job. I told him I did not want him driving in Miami, but he did fine all the way to the airport.

When we arrived at the airport, I realized that we also needed to figure in the customs process. UGH! It wasn't long before we saw ONE youth come out and he basically said, "(Your son) had to get the full search. So they are back there." This youth was meeting his Aunt at the airport and that's why he came out.

So we waited. DS 3 and I had a great time making up stories about each person who came through the customs hall. We decided what country each one had been visiting and their business there. It was profiling at it's finest! But made for some good laughs between the two of us.

DS 2 and crew came out not long after we saw Youth 1. They were tired and worn and the kids were demanding Chick-Fil-A of all places. Thank goodness for GPS! We found one and took them to supper.

One other experience made my week interesting. I went to volunteer in my friend Debra's summer school class of 7 preK Autistic children. These kids range where they are on the Autism spectrum, but honestly most are significantly non-verbal and others are quite physical.

I was only in there an hour while another teacher modeled a lesson, an aide helped all the kids bathroom and/or change diapers, and Debra, a teen volunteer and I helped kids sit in their chairs as they learned to reply with a yes/no to a question. Then I helped them walk to lunch. It took all I had just to hold two kids hands and get them to lunch!

I have to say it was a very humbling experience! These children are precious. They are time intensive and needy in a different sort of way. It is evident that most, if not all, would benefit from a 1:1 aide. That simply isn't going to happen.

It was an important reminder why I don't have my Exceptional Student Education certification. It's simply not my calling. And it's also a reminder just how special each person who has the will, passion, and stamina to work with them is a special gift for that child.

That's it from my neck of the woods!

Spring Break Reflections

We have officially finished Spring Break. For me it was like the players sliding around the bases during a great run at a baseball game. It had it's moments of pure joy and moments of weariness. But all in all it was a GREAT time!

Instead of picking one destination and going there to spend a few days, we decided to take several day trips. Or maybe I decided to take several day trips and they just humored me.

This adventure started with me taking LG to the fair on the first Saturday--She had a BALL! She rode everything...and I DO mean EVERYTHING! The faster the ride went, the better!
On Monday, DS 3 and LG and I headed out to our local science museum for a little hands-on fun! We followed that up with a trip to the Ringling Museum of Art where they have the work of Norman Rockwell on display. It was a beautiful day and a fun time! My favorite picture from the science museum is this one:


From there we went to the art museum where LG and I took time to pose near the Banyan trees:

And DS 3 took time to make fun of appreciate the art.


Then it was on to bowling where DS 4 showed us how it's done:



I don't think LG "got it"...


On Tuesday, we went to the Florida Air Museum, a Children's Museum, and to feed the swans in Lakeland. DS 3 says this photo, taken at the air museum, looks like a band photo...what do you think?

I thought this was a good "teachable moment"--although I'm not sure DS 4 really "got it":



We went to the Children's Museum for some more fun followed by a visit to Lake Morton in Lakeland. This is only a stone's throw from where DH and I went to college. We used to go out to this lake to feed the ducks/swans back then. It was fun to see the kids enjoy it as much as we used to!

We rounded out this day trip with a visit to a "Roaring 20's Pizza Parlor" near us. This was a throw back to a place we used to visit when I was a kid called "J Burns Pizza". When we walked in, they noticed it was filled with a lot of senior citizens. But, I enjoyed the trip down memory lane and the kids had a great time listening to the giant pipe organ and eating pizza.

This is how we finished Tuesday. I'll give an update on the second half of our break tomorrow.

Here's a response from my DS 2 regarding his trip:

Hey Melli and others that are curious, The Mission organization that we worked with is called Open Hearts Ministries and they have been working in the dump for around 8 years now. When they first arrived their goal was to one-by-one take these people out of the dump and set them up with a job and food on their table. A few years back they attempted to do this with a family. They took them out of the dump and got them a house and a job. This lasted all of 2 months and the family CHOSE to go back to the dump. Now, this sounds crazy. Why would anyone CHOOSE to go back to the dump? Well, there is a great sense of community there and that is what they know.

Since this, the mission organization has changed their goals a bit. The government has since decided to move the people of the dump out and to a new area of government housing. The only problem with this government housing is that they will have to pay for utilities. These people don't know how to live in anything else but the dump, so we are hoping and praying that the transition lasts and the people of the dump decide to learn how to be a working member of society.The mission organization is praying about where they fit in to this move. They are just asking God to show them where He wants them.

Like I said in my blog, there is a school in the dump that the mission group runs, but the government does not want to move the school; just the people. So, one thought is they would build another school where ever the government moves these people, but that costs money, so they are giving it to God. A lot of uncertainty about the future of the mission group is up in the air right now. They asked us to all continue to pray about where God wants them in the future as we got back to the states.

As for now, they will continue to love of these kids and build the relationships with them and their families. In the school they will continue to share the story of God and show light to these kids in a very dark place. They also have a sponsorship program with the kids in the dump. Many of the kids are sponsored, but there are still a few that are not. If you want to find out more information you can either ask me or their website is www.ohearts.org.I hope that helps!

M.

Guest Blog: A Mission to Remember Post 2

Our group continued doing this same routine for the first three days. The only thing that changed was in the afternoon we took a group of kids on a field trip. These kids rarely leave the dump, let alone the city, so it was awesome to see these kids in awe of the simple things that we take for granted like tall buildings and fast food buildings. The first day we took the second graders to a lookout with a breath taking view of a volcano! We let the kids take a horseback ride down the mountain which cost us about 25 cents each kid!


One of the little girls in the second grade named Alix heard the live music playing not too far away and asked if she could go dance. I of course said yes, so I walked her over and watched her dance for a minute. I quickly noticed what dance she was doing. The Meringue! I then asked her if I could dance with her, and she said yes. That was really something to dance with this beautiful girl from the dump!

The second day we took the third graders on a field trip to Granada. This was the furthest we took any of the groups. It was just under a two hour BUMPY bus ride away! But, again, the kids enjoyed getting out of the dump for a few hours. In Granada we took the kids on an hour boat tour around the 200 islands that formed from the volcano many years ago. The sights on that tour were breath taking. We came up to one island to get a closer look at the monkeys that were on the island. Little did I know that “closer look” meant that we hold food out for these monkeys and they come onto the boat! It was very neat and the kids loved the monos (monkeys)! On the third day, we took the fourth grade class to the zoo. Now, this was no zoo like you might be imagining. This zoo had a cage for squirrels and a cage for a raccoon! It was amusing to see some of our everyday animals on display, but they also had lions and tigers (and bears oh my)! Before we were let loose with the kids, we were instructed to keep the kids close to us because they could get bit. I didn’t quite know what they meant by this because I assumed these animals weren’t just roaming the place. I assumed they were in cages…big mistake! Many of the animals run wild through the “zoo.” So I would call it more of a walk through the jungle with a few animals in some cages! And, the animals that were in cages were within arm’s reach. I could easily have touched a lion right on the nose! Luckily, no kids, or college students, got hurt!

As the Year Winds Down...

I know, I know...I've been off in blogging...AGAIN! Life has been so busy and I've been neglectful. I have so much to say, but haven't taken the time to say it. Soooo...here's a recap of the last 17 days in photos and words:

It was no small miracle that the trees and decorations got put up. It's such a process at our house and this year, it was in the midst of a very busy schedule.

Things were up just in time for DS 1 to come home and enjoy a moment under the tree with DS 3 and LG.
We had a day in Tampa to take pics with family. This is a picture that DS 3 took of my DH and Me.

And here's one of our family.

My Mom gave us tickets to spend one day at Busch Gardens before the holiday. I took DSs 2, 3, and 4 and LG and some of their friends for a day up there. It was a nice day and we had a blast! DS 4 even rode his first roller coaster.

DS 3, LG and I went out one night to look at holiday lights. We found this display at a local church where the lights are synchronized to music. They had hot chocolate and cookies after you walked through their huge display.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve Service and a quiet celebration at my in-laws. Grandma was quite creative in her gift giving this year! The boys and LG loved opening each of their presents that were filled with so much LOVE!

Once again the boys indulged me and let me get them all Christmas PJ's. It is always a fun thing for me to shop for them. This year it was a little difficult because I had to also find something that would work for LG. Still...she had a blast in the mix of all these guys!

We spent Christmas Day at my Dad's house. As always it's filled with laughter, great food, and family fun!

At the beginning of this week, we loaded up DS2 and what remained of DS 1's stuff and moved them to Gainesville. Here is DH and his co-pilot LG ready to drive the truck!

DSs 1 and 2 got a very nice apartment and will be living together this semester. They seem excited to take this venture. I am reminded of when they were little...they told me they'd never be able to be apart because they were used to sharing a room. So...here they are moved in and once again, sharing living space! I'm glad they're such good friends.
After we dropped them off, DH, DS 3, LG and I went to Orlando for a couple of days. We enjoyed the Ice! Exhibit at the Gaylord Hotel. It's such an amazing thing to see and LG was simply fun to take through it!

Shoot, it was fun just having her at the hotel. She'd never been on an escalator and was THRILLED with that experience! Then, we did the glass elevator which amazed her.

While in Orlando, we met DH's brother and his family for dinner (and to pick up DS 4 who stayed with Grandma and Grandpa a couple of days). It was a lovely visit.

Yesterday, we took the family to Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios. It was JAM PACKED and we ended up leaving early. There's no sense trying to get it all in when you're a Floridian and you can get up there in a non-peak season. Sooo...we dropped off my niece, had a nice dinner and headed home.

Knowing she'd never been on an escalator, you can imagine that the moving sidewalks at Universal were also a novelty for her!

That pretty much brings us here...to New Year's Eve. I had good intentions of getting Christmas completely down today, but I didn't. I have enjoyed a nap. I enjoyed the quiet. I enjoyed doing pretty much nothing.

There's no question that this has been a busy few weeks. Heck...it's been a busy life! My goal for 2010 is to learn to sit still and just enjoy some quiet moments.

I hope your December has been just as memorable and that your New Year is filled with much love and joy!!

Update from My World

My gosh, I went and posted about 1000 posts and committed to the next thousand, then dropped off the face of the earth! Well, sort of.

I've been on vacation and finishing out the last days of summer. Really, though, that's only an excuse, cause summer or vacation have never kept me from blogging before. Sooo....here's my little catch up:

DSs 3 and 4 and I left with my Dad, Stepmom, Brother and his family on Thursday, July 23rd to drive to Ohio to see our family. We had an amazing weekend of family picnics, reunions, and such. Here's a picture of the whole gang:While this only represents a small portion of this side of the family, it was a great event with lots of fun for all. DSs 3, 4, and I took a side trip over to Indiana to visit my friend Suzi and her family. We had a great time enjoying their sweet small town! While there, we enjoyed the county fair and the weather. Wow, the weather! It was so nice to be able to actually BREATHE the cool evening air...minus humidity.

We returned a week ago and had a somewhat busy week.

DS 3 turned 15 on Wednesday. Now, he's part of the reason I needed to blog. He reminds me when I'm "falling behind". But yesterday he said, "You have never missed one of our birthdays." OUCH!

While we were in Ohio, we took a trip to one of his favorite places: Wright-Patterson Airforce Base to see the National Air Museum. He studied his driver's manual all the way to Ohio and all the way home. In fact, I didn't realize how many things I didn't know about the road signs and rules. Wednesday morning, we added one more student driver to the roadways here in FL. He's doing GREAT.

As he grows older, it's so evident that he's a rock. He is stable and consistent. He is someone that everyone in our family goes to for his reliability. If I want to know something about what someone else is doing in our little family, I can often ask DS 3 and he knows. He is keenly observant and often keeps us all in motion, or at least keeps track of our motion. I'm so thankful for the young man he is becoming. He is a blessing to be sure. I'm excited to see him continue his journey through the teen years and into his young adult life.

In other news, DS 1 will leave for school this week. He really doesn't want us to go help him move. Instead, it will be his brother (DS 2) and his friends. I guess when you've been to boot camp already, and it's not your "freshman year"....it's not "cool" to have your family help out for this event. He and I made a trip to Ikea to get him set up, however. I know he's excited to get going on this new chapter of his life.

Hard to believe but school starts for me next week. I am glad. I have always said that I am a better working Mother. It's true. I like everyone to have places to be and things to do. Including me! I'm looking forward to another school year.

So, that pretty much sums up our last few weeks. I do have a book review to post...stay tuned for that.