Noah's Ark In The Netherlands

If you go to google images and search for Noah's Ark in the Netherlands, all these pictures will pop up that you can look at. There are also some youtube videos of it.
What a WAY COOL thing this man did. He tried to make an exact replica in size of the actual Noah's Ark. It is a museum with animals, a petting zoo, a children's theatre, etc. so that people can see how it could have worked. Isn't that fascinating? :)

Have Legs Will Travel!

Here is a picture of Erika and I putting on legs before church. She is really TALL with her legs on. It was a joy to see her go outside and play after church today, and to walk in the building and get to Sunday School by herself! YEA!

Reality

Today went well at the hospital. Sarah's leg fits her quite well and she went skipping down the hall like nothing ever happened. Erika on the other hand, is just a bit more complicated.

The goal for Erika has been to make her as independent as possible. Meaning, she would be able to put her own legs on without help. This is really important for her future.
It is also important that she be able to walk without legs. She is a bilateral amputee, and the symes amputations have made it possible for her to walk on bare legs with no prosthetics when in the house. She can get up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom, she can take a shower, she can get out of bed without having to be carried, etc.
When she first came, she could do none of these things.

The problem we are having is with the size on one of her legs. It has become too large and because of her previous deformity, bones are all over the place. :) That, combined with a very tiny shin and larger knee make it difficult to fit her in prosthetics.
It has gotten more difficult as her one leg has grown.

So, combined with happy news that her new legs are fitting ok, but tight.... and they are an old style of leg that she cannot put on by herself, the doctor and prosthetist talked and they think it would be best to operate. This would mean cutting bone away, removing excess tissue and reshaping her stump so she can fit into a leg better.

The reality is: She will have surgery, there will be a 6 to 8 week recoupuration time for the surgery, then making a new style of legs, and then the big one: the time it will take to be able to stand again on her bare legs to get around the house on her own. I was a little caught off guard.... but I am so thankful that God will never cause us to go through anything alone.

The Doctor suggested summer time, but Erika was a bit upset about that. I don't blame her. She spent one summer in a body cast and it was no fun. :( So, we will talk to him about moving it to Spring, so she can walk a bit, get out for a few weeks and then have the surgery. That way she can spend summer being a kid. And then hopefully, by next year she will be able to walk again on her bare legs around the house without pain.

The Lord has brought our family together for a reason. HE KNEW before He formed our family what trials he would bring us through. Trials are there to strengthen us, to cause us to depend upon HIM. Besides Dad, Mom and Erika, this includes Anna and Sarah too.

And Erika, Anna and Sarah bring us nothing but joy. :)

Tomorrow Tomorrow I Love You Tomorow.....

Hopefully, it ISN'T a Day away!

Tomorrow we wake up at 6:00 a.m. and we travel at 6:30 to get to the hospital. Erika AND Sarah's legs are ready. We will pick up new legs.:)

I'm not sure what to say.... other than.... I sure hope they fit!

Erika has been without legs since the first week of October! That means, she has been unable to play outside for OVER 3 months! Sarah had surgery, has recoouperated and is wearing her old leg until a new one has been made, since Erika outgrew her other legs.

So, tomorrow, we go and we get legs. I'm so thrilled! I cannot express how thrilled I am for Erika.
What we all take for granted when we get up in the morning, she and Sarah have to put on.
It has been a long journey these past few months. I am so thankful for new legs.
Thank You Lord that we have legs to walk. Thank you that we can go outside and play and to the park. Thankyou that we have each other through hard times.
It has been hard.

Thank YOU!

In Christ Alone

I have this song on my play list up above. I would love for you to click on it and listen to it. I cannot sing this song without
weeping for joy. The words carry such meaning and truth. When I hear the last two verses at church, I want to say YEE HAW or WHOO HOOO! I want to burst forth in praise and wave my hands and jump for joy. But I remain subdued for the better of the group and jump up and down with joy inside. :) But I truly do wonder: Why is it ok to get all excited about a football game, but not about Jesus? I'm all for a few whoo hoo's at church now and then; as long as they are orderly whoo hooos. :)


In Christ Alone


In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

Enchanted Revisited

This should be an interesting school day. :)I was told "The man who holds your heart must be very lucky indeed!"

Mama That Wrinkle......

Anna was studying my face oh so affectionately. She stroked my face with her finger and followed a certain "pattern" a few times and then got a sweet smile and said,
"Mama, that huge wrinkle on your face forms a perfect heart!"

uh.... gee thanks.....I think.

I guess if I have to be noted for wrinkles, at least they form perfect hearts. :)

The Inaugaration Through The Eyes of Little Girls

These are the notes the girls took during the Inauguration:



Erika:

I heard songs and music and preaching and yelling. I saw thousands of people. I saw Barack Obama and his wife and Bush and his wife. I thought it was good, I though it was going to be fast. I heard that a woman got hit by a train.
I saw prsident Obama coming in. I saw people wearing hats and I saw Mrs. Obama give a present to Mrs. Bush.
I saw Obama give a speech and people watching from his school. I saw a woman making popcorn.(that was mom) :)
I heard Obama say that "my fellow president, I stand before you. I thank President Bush. So it is understood, I will prosper the nation, to day I say to you this day we come to proclaim. We understand we have been given for us, they fall and die. They work for us to be free. Every where we look there is work to be done.


Anna:

Well, we just heard a 60 year old woman got hit by a train. Miss Obama gave Miss Bush a box. In the box was a journal and a pen to write her experience in the White House. Mr. Obama just got out of a big car. It is cold, but most people don't care how cold it is. The Obama's car is 6 feet tall! This is the 2nd youngest president in History. Well this is a change~! Mr. Bush is moving to Texas!

I saw millions of people all waiting for Mr. Obama. Some people have been there for a whole day! I also saw African people. They wore funny looking clothes.I heard a man say, "Hear Oh Israel the Lord our God, The Lord is One". I do not get it. We are not Israelites!

I saw Mr. Obama get sworn in. And they had a parade with Brithsh soldiers. "The Red Coats". Did you know that men have guns in their shirts?

Obama said that we are free and some celebrate, some work their hands raw. All this we can do and we will.


Sarah:
I saw thousands of people waiting, cheering, singing and talking to each other. I saw lots of police cars and soldiers. I even saw the children of Barack Obama. I saw people reporting things. I heard Obama make his speech, a lady sing, a man pray and another girl talk. I heard people singing and cheering.
I was thinking, "Wow! What a lot of people!"I was thinking I would like to live in the White House. I was thinking, a soldier could kill the president but I don't think they would. I was thinking, "Why would they go to church on Tuesday?"
I was thinking "What is Obama going to do first?" Mom says she doesn't think it will be good.
I heard that a woman got struck by a train. I saw the president and his wife get in a car. Mom told me the soldiers have weapons.
I was thinking, "I can't believe all those people waited since yesterday!"I couldn't believe people came from all over the world. I can't believe how many people came out of one door!

Barack Obama said we are equal and we are free. The still waters of peace. Our nation is at war. The time has come to re establish child hood. This is the journey we look for now. We will build the road and electricity. We are ready to lead once more. :)

Watching The Inauguration

One of the things we were discussing today while watching the inauguration was transition of power. We talked about how in many countries in the world transition of power is brought on by force, by war, and the previous leader may be imprisoned or executed. The girls watched a picture of the new first family and the old first family embrace and the new first lady give the old first lady a gift.
We talked about how a very powerful leader, just willingly walked away from his office and handed his authority to the new powerful leader, caused by the will of the people in which he leads. Whether you like the choice of our new president or not, it is an amazing thing to watch.

FROM THE GIRLS:

So far the most exciting part of watching the inauguration has been when they showed a little boy near the Washington Monument doing the exact thing Sarah was doing from the comfort of her own home. Watching the Inauguration with a Periscope. :)
"Look Mommy! He has a periscope just like us!" :)


From Mom:

We were watching the car pull up with George Bush and Barack Obama. I told the girls, if that were me, I wouldn't want to get out of the car! What a responsibility!
Then I asked:
What would be the first thing you would do if you were in office?

The girls :

Sarah: I would have a PARTY and get 4 dogs and feed all the poor people.
Anna: I would work for animal rights and endangered animals. People use fossil fuels and destroy animal habitats.
Erika: I would make it cheaper for people to fly here from far away.
Mom: I would make it easier for people to come to our country, who want to be a part of America and be a part of this great country. Most of us descended from immigrants after all. :)

I Get It!

We have been on an "Enchanted Kick" around here..... This a.m. I was singing, "How Do You Know He Loves You... How Do You Know He Cares?.....

Sarah said, "How do you know?" So I repeated what my own dear husband said this morning when I was happily serenading him this a.m.

"For God demonstrated His love to the World like this.... He GAVE His Only Begotten Son".
So I sang to her, "That's how we know He loves us! That's How we know, HE CARES!"

Her response: "I get it!" :)

Enchanted

Last night for our movie night, we watched "Enchanted".
It is a movie based upon the Musical.
The story line is, a Princess in cartoonland gets banished to New York and continues to behave with the innocence like the cartoon princesses, and as the story unfolds, the prince comes to life as does the wicked step mother etc.

Remember Sleeping Beauty and the old woman with the apple? That scene comes to life with the woman and the apple.

Well, it sent Sarah in for a couch dive, scared her to death. When it was bedtime, she went to sleep but awoke scared and had to sleep with mommy and daddy . :) After alot of talking and praying she finally went to sleep. I woke up tired and needed COFFEE! STRONG COFFEE!

Well, this a.m. Sarah was all rested and the Fairy Princess in her came to life. Right now she is "cleaning the castle", singing, "While your cleaning don't stop singing"!
(WITH SOME DANCING AND TWIRLS THROWN IN FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT)
She didn't eat her morning apple. She chose yogurt instead. LOL

The Sentence Of The Day

Here are the girlies taking a crack at diagramming a most wonderful sentence. :)

There You Go Mr. Chicken Legs!

Hmmmm..... morning games of backgammon can be quite competitive around here. Sarah and Daddy were playing a fierce game this a.m. Daddy said, "your move!" She moved alright and said, "There you go Mr. Chicken Legs", to which we both started laughing......
Can this sweet little girl who greets her sister with such affection Call DADDY MR. CHICKEN LEGS?


YES! But only during Backgammon. :)

Here is daddy giving his best Chicken Yard Rooster Look! Isn't he charming? From this look can you guess who won?


In case you guessed wrongly:

Chicken Pox

Anna is reading a book about 3 girls. She got very excited when the chapter was called "Chicken Pox". After a couple of pages she came to me and said, "Mom, there isn't ANYTHING in this chapter about a chicken!" :)

Erika's Creative Math Answers

2 boys have 3 donuts. If they were to share the donuts evenly, how many donuts will they have? (paraphrased by mom)

Erika's answer: 1 each.

I asked her: How did you come up with 1 each? That only equals 2 total and there are 3.

Her answer:

They gave the other one away!

Little Girls Have Never Changed

I was reading this passage from the book of Job:
Job 41:1-5
Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many pleas to you?
Will he speak to you soft words? Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever?
Will you play with him as with a bird, OR WILL YOU PUT HIM ON A LEASH FOR YOUR GIRLS?

Little girls have been trying to lead animals on leashes since the beginning of time. :)

What Is It About Schedules?

After vacation time and the Chaos that Christmas brings, we were very happy to get settled back into a real scheduled day. For whatever reason, it seems when something is WRITTEN DOWN and on the WALL, the kids just seem to thrive. They LOVE seeing Lists of things to do and they love following time charts.

I am abit free spirited myself, but have come to appreciate the SCHEDULE. It is true that I get more done when I write it down and try to stick to it. Of course we are not perfect at it, and of course there are exceptions to the rule, such as Doctor appts., illness, field trips etc. But overall, schedules cause us to thrive with happy hearts.

The girlies and I sat down a couple of days ago to discuss family responsibilities, school work, fun time etc. This is what we all came up with together. I have to say, it works like a charm.
We made a school schedule, then a fun time schedule (not all done every day) and a Chore schedule (not all done everyday) The goal is to get them to be prepared if they see something out of place, to just take care of it without being asked. Also, to time THEMSELVES on things like computer time. So far, the minute timer has been in use for things like blogging and webkins.


Anna prefers to do outside type chores and Erika prefers inside. Sarah likes both, so we tried to make things to their liking. It cracked me up watching them pick things they actually enjoy doing, and then divvy up the rest between them.

In the afternoons, I want them to enjoy trying new things AND do old things, so we even put a time schedule on that ...... What resulted? Each of them had computer time, each tried playing a musical instrument, 2 spent time playing with animals and trying to be "goat whisperers", and there was time spent having fun.

When it came time for dinner, Erika very excitedly started to help. She chopped walnuts and an onion for me, and has claimed the kitchen just like a grown up girl~!
If I'm not careful, she will be kicking me out of my domain soon... LOL

For The Sake of His Great Name

For those of you who read this blog, I'd love to point you to another blog in my side bar. It is called, "For the Sake of His Great Name". Wayne, Hillary and Adelaide Denny made the trek to Paris France and are attending Language school before setting of to Senegal as Missionaries. Wayne will be teaching in the bible school in Senegal.

Please keep them in your prayers and follow their blog for updated information and lots of fun along the way. Hillary is a great blogger and I really enjoy reading about the great adventures of Wayne and Hillary.

Their little girl Adelaide is now 2 and loads of fun to read about.

Praise the Lord for technology used right. Many times when our missionaries leave, we get short snippits of news here and there and sometimes none at all for long periods of time. New technology helps us to keep in contact, and as stateside believer's we can feel a greater part of the ministry we pray for. I think it can also help our friends to not feel so isolated.

So if you read something from them, leave them a friendly message. I'm sure they would love it. :)

A New Guitar

I found this guitar at a great price. Erika has been wanting a guitar for a long time, and we can all learn to play it. I remember a little bit, but not enough to really play, so now we need a good cord book and we will have Music class! :)
Here are a couple of pics of Erika with the guitar. It really has quite a good sound.




As I was cleaning up abit this a.m., I heard Erika in the bedroom strumming away, the same strum the same sound and same note, but singing a most wonderful song she made up from the bottom of her heart.

"I Praise You Lord" "I thank you Lord", "I thank you for my Family"
"I Praise You Lord" I thank you Lord......

It was all just really sweet. :)

Little Girl Mischief?????

I was just notified of a little girl who decided it would be great fun to take her leg off, place it on the sidewalk and hide behind the brick mailbox, so the innocent woman walking her dog could get the shock of her life. :)

This little girl proceeded to let me know the woman's response which went something like "OH MY G--!"AHHHHH!!!!!

This certain little girl won't be doing that again, I hope. :)