It seems like a good day to write this letter...although I got a late start to my day. I was up at five when Jason and Ryan left for the Farm Science Review in Columbus.  So I crawled back in bed. Then I was amazed that the children let me sleep so long. Eric is usually up at 8 if not before, crawling through the house, waiting for some one to take his braces off. The girls were awake taking care of Venesa. She looked happy to see me though! They are such great helpers with Venesa...Ciara plays with her....Jennika is good at caring for her needs. Example; the other morning she had her, and upon hearing her pass some gas took her to the potty and she had her bowel movement! Then she happily tells me about it all! They feel so proud when she goes for them. :)  Eric is the one I am working with.... He is having occasional accidents...but he is in shorts now, even for going away. Unfortunatly he has more trouble comunicating about needing to move his bowels. He uses the little potty by himself...often I remind him to go. When I give him a sticker...he wears it on his forehead! This morning he looked out the patio door and exclaimed, "There is a robber out there!"

I said, "oh no!" wondering what he saw. We found out he was seeing a 'robin' which was actually a morning dove. 

I still have two that I should teach school today...so why do I think I'm on vacation too!? My two main goals for today are this letter and finishing Monday's wash and putting it all away! Even all the clothes on the line downstairs... I am considering eventually moving my laundry room down to the basement (well I don't have a laundry room now, just a closet for the washer and dryer.) I could dream of having a table for folding clothes, and a good place for baskets. Since we don't have a walk out basement though, it would mean carrying baskets upstairs to hang laundry outside. When we build a room for the boys, I will lose my  basement wash line also. So it is not a perfect plan.... :)  And what to do with the closet up here? A spacious pantry, a place for "buckets" of flour, sugar, and oatmeal...ect.  

          Venesa is in her bed for her nap...the second or third try of laying her down. Sigh. She sleeps in the nursery now, where the boys sleep. Some of the night she might be in our bed, but it is nice to have another spot where she sleeps pretty well. I have a precious space of time where I can still sleep in my favorite position...so I'd like to enjoy that now!

          We celebrated our 10th anniversary in the middle of an unusally full week. It was good we changed our plans for that week; several months ago we had hoped to fly to the west coast... we finally settled on enjoying a day at the Mohican Castle. Just one day away from my six month old baby and not near as much money spent...was really a more realistic decision. It was the week that Jason's Grandpa died (Elmer Weaver) and also his step cousin (Rachel Stiener, 17 years) The week was full of calling hours and funerals. Our parents were still willing to keep our children so we could slip away

to the place we had reserved (we couldn't change the date, or get our money back) So thank God, it worked out alright, we just cut our time at Mohican a bit shorter to get back for evening calling hours. Jason's parents kept the boys, and my parents had the girls. They were just getting into the routine of caring for Janie also, so I'm sure it was a hand full, and I hoped Mom didn't lose too much sleep with my baby that doesn't sleep too well during the night.

I noticed that she mentioned how well Venesa slept toward morning...a pretty long stretch, but she avoided saying how much she was kept awake before that! :) I hope I can be at least half that sweet and gracious when I am a Grandma!

           When we arrived at the castle we checked in for our room and then ate at the restaurant on the property. It was a very relaxing and romantic atmosphere. It is fun to be at a place like that because you know all the other couples are most likely celebrating something special too!

Later we used the pool room for awhile...then when we got back I washed my freshly washed hair again! :)

If we had got ourselves to bed then, we would've had a really good night of sleep for once! But we snuggled into the comfy stuffed chairs facing each other...they were one level above the first floor. Beside us was a spiral staircase leading to a third floor with not much more than a place to sit and a great veiw of the grounds. We read some papers Jason had printed out from Family Life on marriage and praying for your children...and we prayed awhile and then talked and talked. Later we figured we had to have been up there in our cozy spot for around three hours. Oh but it was wonderful! Part of our conversation was thinking of all the couple friends we have and whether we see them as doing well in their marriage or needing someone to reach out to them. And you know what inspired that conversation...hearing of those we know that are no longer together. We felt really blessed to be surrounded by many healthy marriages and those that are improving and growing together. We need to be willing to sacrifice time for the ones that are hurting... so pray that God will give us an eternal perspective in that area!

           The next morning we had breakfast in the breakfast room, we would've done more outdoor eating....but it was kind of warm, so air conditioning felt good. We had our own personal balcony off our room, and another higher porch where we read the Bible together before breakfast...they didn't start serving till 9! We walked the paths around the castle and visited the graveyard at the top of the hill behind the castle. We found graves from 1850's and 1860's. We were able to make out the writing on alot of them, and discovered that a lot of children and older folk died within two years time. Was there an epidemic over that time that took the young and old? I thought of how we would be gathered around Grandpa's grave the next day and how there must of been a group of people surrounding each of these graves a century and a half ago. And a mother for each of these children who had died.

Too soon it was time to get our stuff out of the room; then we headed off for our canoe trip! :) We had great weather for it and enjoyed our 7 mile trip on the river to the fullest. There was just enough rocks and white water to keep it interesting, but mostly a very gentle relaxing trip. We pulled off on the bank to eat the lunch we'd packed. We started from the canoe place, and they come pick you up when they guess you might arrive! I was a little worried to be without a bathroom for too long, but it wasn't a problem, although we both used it first thing when we got back. We were dropped off right by the bathrooms!! :)  On our way home we stopped at two restaurants to check them out for sometime in Oct. when we want to plan an evening out with three other couples that got married the fall of 2002 also. We quickly dismissed Pine Tree barn as an option. It is a luncheon restaurant only open in the middle of the day. We discovered The Pine's Restaurant has really changed from romantic dining to modern decor (which was nice) and added all these tv screens

so you don't have to miss the news while you eat! ( and distracts from meaningful conversation!) We decided to have an afternoon treat there before we left. (which ended up being all we had for supper cause we ran out of time getting ready for the evening.)

         The day of our anniversary was the funeral. My memory of all that is standing in the hot sun at the graveside- it seemed very long. Suddenly I realized that Ryan was softly sobbing..,he was having a real hard time. I'd almost forgotten how he is affected anytime someone is being put in the ground.

It is that final moment that he can hardly handle. Jason put his arm around him and they cried together.

Instead of going home after the meal, we went down to Berlin to see if we could find the place where we'd stayed our wedding night. We drove around for awhile but Jason found it! The place we ate a brunch the next morning is now a doctor's office. We also drove to the place where we went for our first anniversary... we haven't stayed anywhere for the night other anniversaries...except we got a cabin in Pa once. Our fifth was when we took the hot air balloon ride! :) This year I suggested we keep a cruise in mind for our twentieth or twenty-fifth. It is fun to dream and plan for the future together, hoping God grants us many more years. 

We did remember you, Maynard & Joyce on your special day. Hope you were able to make some great memories, also!

We's saved a gift card to Bob Evans some one gave us for videoing their wedding...planning to use it for our getaway.... so we took the children out for supper that evening, and all ate for about 15 dollars of our money.      

       It was so fun to have Mary Lou and children around for a week! They spent one day here, and it was a busy day of wash so she worked most of the time... :( I was so grateful though, and we got to talk alot. That week we had a 'mom's group walk' along the bike trail. I really enjoyed that day....

       I finally got around to contacting our midwife to let her know we need her services once again. But I still don't have the first appointment scheduled...should be my big goal for the day! I am feeling the baby move, but I do love to hear the heartbeat. She has always been fairly unconcerned about my weight (when I thought I was gaining too much!) Now I wonder if she will be just as unconcerned if she knows I lost weight and still haven't regained it. I am not worried in the least, at least not yet!

But it has been rough for Venesa and I... I told Jason that I have not had a baby yet with so much struggles with nursing and sleeping, and feeling uncertain about what to do. She will take goats milk, and she is eating baby cereal and baby food. I was given two boxes of baby jars!

She loves to nurse and I can give her enough to 'almost' make her happy. She lost her "chubs" and is 2 to 3 lbs less than all the others were at her age.

She just cut her first tooth, and you know, looking in her eyes right now, they are brown! When did that happen?! We are not surprised, of course!

       Well, Ryan isn't here to remind me that it is past lunch time! I just helped myself to a cold stuffed pepper, but I should be feeding my children...rice and chicken and carrots left over from Sunday. I am surprised Ciara hasn't come around saying she's hungry. 

          It is a very rainy day. I hope my husband remembered to grab a jacket! I gave Ryan a sweat shirt; he doesn't have a jacket yet for the fall! I know they took  an umbrella. We thought about all going, but with this weather, I am so grateful to be at home! This Sat. I hope we can all go to the "Missions At The Airport" in Kidron. The rides are over double in price from when we went when I was at home...

        Are you all looking forward to some slower paced fall days? I have very little planned except keeping up with the daily work...which is only realistic, and maybe doing more biking as a family. I don't have any big projects or goals...will that change if I get a burst of energy?

I plan to be good teacher and grow this baby...sounds like enough for now...:) 

Here is a poem I found this morning....

It goes well with one thought we are learning together as a mom's group...

learning to embrace our roles as women.

                                                                          

         Femininity                                                

'Tis not the fragrance of perfume

That makes you who you are,

But your shining face and glowing heart,

Which twinkle like a star-

'Tis not the fluttering eye lashes

That turn my heart your way,

But the depths of passion in those eyes

And the love that they convey-

A dainty queen is not the fullness

Of femininity,

But she who loves her womenhood

And all that she can be!