The City

We were definitely due for a weekend excursion.  It was time to get away from the apartment for a bit and explore our surroundings.  On Friday night Dan and I were trying to decide what to do.  I had done some research on Santa Cruz so we thought it would be fun to visit the beach…our favorite place to be.  Dan woke us all up on Saturday morning…bright and early….to get ready to leave.  He even packed all the girls’ clothes and packed the beach bag.  Now I know how to motivate Dan to get up and get moving in the morning….send him to the beach (or the mountains).  Typically on family vacations my husband is the last one out of the house (right Donatini family??), so it was fun to see him begging for me and the girls to get moving.  We all lingered in bed while he packed us, and I really enjoyed it.  Anyway, back to our adventure.  The day started off great and we were on the road by 8:30 am.  Santa Cruz is about an hour and a half away.  We arrived there and saw a cute little beach town and a boardwalk with fun rides.  The girls were pretty excited.  The only negative part was the air and water temperature.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, but the air was so cold.  We stayed on the beach and explored for about an hour and decided that was enough.  Dan and I have also decided that we don’t like sand anymore when we are carting around three kids, a stroller, snacks, and all the other things that kids bring along with them.  It is just too much work.  Now if it were a warm day with warm water we might have a better attitude about that.  We still love the beach, but not so much with all the kids.  So we headed back to the boardwalk and let the kids each pick a ride.  Mya chose the swings and rode with Dan and I took Sara on the sky ride.  It is always such a joy to see their faces when they are having fun.  I love to see them laugh and get excited.  So precious! 

The second half of our excursion was driving to “the city.”  San Francisco was our destination and it was an experience.  The drive was beautiful…we drove the coastal highway to the Golden Gate bridge.  The ocean was breathtaking.  Then we spent some time at the lookout points for the bridge.  Once that touristy activity was done, we decided to drive to Lombard Street with the super curvy road…8 curves to be exact.  But en route to this street we came upon the very steep roads of San Francisco.  Our stomachs were a bit (okay…really) nervous climbing these streets in our car and then going down them.  We are not optimistic about our brakes being in very good shape by the time we get home (sorry Marky….that’s our mechanic).  We are afraid he might wonder what we have done to our car this past year due to all the mountain driving and the one curb that I drove over (which knocked some meaningless plastic cover off the bottom of the car).  Now I am getting sidetracked….so after the steep hills, we regrouped and found the curvy road.  I was the navigator, of course, and got us a little lost, but we did find it.  Wow!  What a sight!  There are 8 curves and it is a single lane road…one way.  The road is set on a very steep hill and beautiful townhouses are on both sides of the street.  The turns are narrow and tight and surrounded by gorgeous green landscaping.  The best part was our three girls in the back seat who had their windows down and yelled “hi” to all the tourists taking pictures.  Driving on that street made us feel like we were in a parade.  It was congested with cars and tourists. 

And finally, we parked at Fisherman’s Wharf and took the kids to Joe’s Crab Shack.  Dan and I had seafood and the kids had….pizza.  And we got a free dessert because they took too long to get our meal to us…and we didn’t even complain about it.  Then we headed home and bathed the whole family.  Good times!

Beach pictures....

Amusement park pictures....

Golden Gate Bridge pictures....

Curvy road pictures....

Family

I have had some time to talk with family members about Chloe's stubborn streak and am so thankful for all the suggestions and words of wisdom. I have been reminded how important it is to find the balance between being strict on an issue and being too laid back. We are trying to do just that. Although Dan and I talked about Chloe last night and decided to lay off the issue for now and revisit it later. My sister gave me a good example today. She said sometimes when she is playing a game and feels stuck, she walks away for 15 minutes and comes back only to find a very obvious solution. So maybe if we take a break we can come back to it later and it will make sense to her. Other than this issue she has become a compliant, intelligent and independent toddler. She is really neat! I can't wait for family and friends back home to meet her again. Even after we struggled with her on the first day she was full of hugs and kisses when we held her late that night. She loved on us and we loved on her while I rocked her to sleep. Parenting is such a journey, isn't it? As parents we try things and if they don't work we try other things. We learn what we could have...should have done and we learn what works. We extend grace because we love and adore our children. And they extend grace back and love and adore us. It is the most precious thing to be a parent.

Celebrating

We have reason to celebrate! Today at lunch time, out of nowhere, I saw Sara fold her hands and ask Jesus in her heart. She said the prayer by herself and it was awesome to watch. I helped her say a few more things, but she initiated this without having talked about it lately. This is one of those moments that I feel so proud to be the mommy to these girls. I was chosen to be the mommy and watch these amazing moments. How lucky am I?

Fruity Snacks

Fruity snacks was a favorite snack around here until I took away corn syrup from our snacks. So...I found a new recipe to make fruity snacks and they have become a favorite around our house. Here is the recipe that I tweaked:
 1 cup mixed berries
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 banana
1/2 cup fruit juice
2 envelopes gelatin

 In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the berries and water. Bring to a boil and cook until berries are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add banana and puree. Return to pot and add applesauce. Return to a boil, then remove from heat, cover and let sit. In another bowl, sprinkle gelatin over fruit juice and let stand for one minute. Add hot fruit mixture and stir until gelatin completely dissolves. Pour into 8 X 8 dish or into molds. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into blocks.

Church

As I mentioned in a previous blog we find ourselves driving to church every Sunday.  There is always a reason for us to return.  We love the church and want to go, but each Sunday we say something about the commute.  And yet, God keeps us going there.  So this Sunday we went again so we could take the fourth child back to her parents, since her dad is the pastor of the church.  And they had a newcomers luncheon so we were able to stay for lunch.  We have been going to a Sunday School class at this church and have really enjoyed it.  After taking the kids to IHop for breakfast…yes, all six of us went…we arrived at church in time for our class.  The topic was about Satan and how much power he does or doesn’t have on our lives.  It was a very intriguing class…as they always are.  There is one man in particular in that class who we adore.  He appears to be in his late 70’s, maybe early 80’s.  He is a widower and is battling cancer.  Every week we look forward to talking to him before or after class.  He is high spirited and has a neat outlook on his life.  After class on this particular Sunday, he approached Dan.  He thanked us for coming yet another Sunday….he knows our situation and dilemma with the commute.  And he reached out his hand to shake Dan’s hand. In it, he placed a $20 bill for Dan and said it was for gas money or for whatever we need it for.  He joked about buying us so we would keep coming back, but he said he wanted to do something for us.  Yes, I got choked up.  I mean…wow….here is this man who is dealing with chemotherapy and he thinks to bless someone else.  We were just amazed and truly grateful.  Dan said he has learned to swallow his pride and accept blessings as he knows we have learned to bless others along our way too.  Recently I read an article about being a mom and the author shared a wonderful idea that I hope to do someday.  She said…how wonderful would it be to find a mom in the grocery store who has young kids, tell the mom to go load up her car with her kids and meet you out front, meanwhile you pay for her groceries and load them up for her.  That would be so cool!

The girls received a package on Saturday from their Grandma Brindle.  They each had a new outfit and wanted to show them off for the blog.  They have caught on to the fact that I put pictures of them on the computer so their family can see them.  So they were excited when I got the camera out so they could pose in their new outfits.  Thank you Grandma!!!!

Four Little Monkeys

Every day seems to get a little better as we adjust and get into a new routine. Dan has gotten much more comfortable with the train and bike for commuting. Most days he takes the car, but he takes the train when I need the car. We have a good system worked out. I finally met some moms at our apartment complex when I was at the pool the other day. It was so good to connect. The MOPS group will be starting a book study soon and I will join that. It will be once a week. I finally feel like I am getting out of the slump of feeling alone.

We increased the amount of children we have by one more this weekend. Our friend's from Ripon have a daughter who is Sara's age. She is staying with us for the weekend because her mom is recovering from a medical procedure. I am thankful to have Dan with us for the weekend! It has been so much fun hearing the girls play and watching them swim. It has been a busy day full of time at the playground and the pool. Tonight we fed them pizza and walked to get ice cream. Tomorrow morning we will get the whole house ready and drive 45 minutes to church. That means four heads of hair to decorate! We are still driving to the church in Ripon. Every Sunday we say that we aren't going to drive anymore, but every Sunday there has been a need for us to return. I guess God always knows what is best.

Yesterday before Dan got home from work I took all four girls to Old Navy and Wal-Mart. We survived and I got lots of looks from people. Our added child has blonde hair so she kind of looks the part. Chloe is having so much fun with all the activity. Is it bad when your 1 1/2 year old knows how to say the word Barbie really well? I think she says it better than she says mommy and daddy. Oh boy! I think the Sunday after church will definitely be a "day of rest" for us all.

Good Day

We made it to a MOPS meeting and it was SO good to be with a group of women. The speaker was excellent. Her name is Joanne Kraft and she has written a book for busy moms. Her website is www.joannekraft.com. She has a really neat ministry for moms and she is an excellent speaker. It was refreshing to hear her speak very candidly to the group about the importance of having a relationship with God. The group today was quite a mix of believers and nonbelievers. At the end of the meeting I was able to witness a girl at my table asking the table leader if she could borrow a bible. She decided that she might want to read some of it. That was awesome!

The topic of discussion today was about having a mom story that is extraordinary. She challenged us to think about our personal story and recognize how much God values us. We might think we are ordinary, but we are not. Each one of us has a story to share. One of the things that I really like to do...secretly...is watch people. I like to watch families interact or just watch individuals. This is how I learn...from watching. Ever just sit and watch people in a mall or airport? It is pretty enlightening. But I especially like to watch Christian families interact together. The other day we were in church and a family filed in the pew in front of us. They have adopted three children from Hade and are in the process of adopting a child with special needs from China. I was overcome with emotion from watching the mom with the kids. She was very touchy feely with them and they were with her. Very loving body language. I just thought, "These kids have a life now because these parents followed God's leading and opened their home to them." It was an amazing thing to watch, but I think it is easy to look at them and think we are just an ordinary family and they are extraordinary. When in fact, we are all extraordinary. If you ever doubt this, read Psalm 139. Verse 14 states..."I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Today was a lesson that I definitely needed to hear!

How Is It Going?

This phase of our journey is hard in some ways and easy in others. We love our surroundings and apartment complex. The area is beautiful and very developed so we have many things available to us from stores to restaurants to parks. This area is very family oriented. Every time we turn a corner when we are driving we find a community center of some sort. The parks are beautiful and large and there are running trails and bike trails everywhere. There is a Wal-Mart right across the street from our apartment so if I ever need something during the day, the girls and I can walk there. The swimming pool is heated and I am in love with the layout of the apartment....large kitchen, washer/dryer, bedrooms on separate side of the apartment and large bathtub so I can finally take a bath and read my novel.

That was all the good stuff, but there are some daily struggles that I encounter. Mainly lack of a social life, which is tough for me. I miss seeing people that I know. Moving to a new place involves patience with developing relationships. It is just now starting to develop. I finally made connections with the MOPS group and have a play date set up this week. It will be so good to chat with another mommy. The people at the apartment complex are not very social and the culture is quite diverse. It has been a while since I have felt connected to people. When we lived in Stockton I had a month there of not knowing anyone either. So it has been a couple months of feeling solitude with my connections during the day. Dan and I find that on Sundays we both experience increased anxiety. He feels it because of going to work on Monday (the job is doable but has long hours and is not something he loves) and I feel it because I know that I have to go five days without having Dan home and not seeing anyone I know during the day. Needless to say, we really miss the comforts of home. We are surviving, but feel some strain here as we wait for the last couple months to go by.

One of the hardest things has been accepting our financial situation for what it is. We can't put very much extra on the mortgage so we will be set back with paying off the debt. So many days I just keep asking Why? I want to know why we were put here and why our financial goal has been delayed. It is frustrating and makes us feel defeated in some ways. It feels like a dead end to me because I got in such a routine of writing those weekly checks to the bank. Now I can't do that. I even remember asking Dan when we first moved here, "Did we miss God's plan for us?" "Did we move to the wrong the location or sign the wrong job contract?" But....thankfully I was reminded from God's word and a daily devotional that dead ends are part of God's plan. Even if it is simply to build our faith and trust in what God can and will do for us. The devotional reminded me to expect God to act so our faith can be stretched. The verse below sums it all up for me.

"At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8b-9 PH)

The Kids

When I communicate with people from home they usually ask me how the kids are doing with all of the transitions. And to that question I can honestly respond that they are doing amazing. They are very resilient and demonstrate to us all the time how to make the most out of any situation. We find ourselves learning from them often. But as I was pondering this post today, I was sitting by the pool with the kids. And I watched how amazingly friendly they were to strangers in the pool. Each child has grown from this experience, but in the area of social skills they have progressed quickly. They have learned to talk to new people, invite children to play on the playground and introduce themselves to anyone. Just today the girls and I walked to Wal-Mart (across the street from the apartment). I watched as Mya waved to all the cars at the stoplight while we walked across the intersection. She was just being genuinely friendly. Although I had to chuckle at the sight. We are all racing to get across the street and here is Mya spending her time waving to all the cars. Friendliness is the word that I would name as the biggest blessing that our kids have received. When we left Ashland last May, Mya was the child who barely spoke at preschool. She has been forever changed...as have the other two. Thank you God for enriching our children's lives this year!

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter together as a family, although we continue to miss our extended family, especially on days like today.  But we celebrated and made it a fun day for the kids.  We woke up to Mya joyfully saying, "It's Easter!!!!" We tried to contain her excitement a bit so the other two kids would sleep longer.  Once they woke up we had breakfast and got everyone dressed for church.  Dan really wanted to do the egg hung for the girls outside, despite the cooler weather.  It was sweet because he had a whole plan in his mind of how he wanted it done and exactly where he would hide everything.  He took off with the eggs and easter baskets and made a trail of hidden eggs leading to the playground.  Then he hid the easter baskets at the playground.  A few minutes after he left I took off with the girls and had them follow the trail.  It worked out well, although it took a while to follow the trail because Chloe wanted to eat everything in every egg that she found.  We finally made it to the playground and the girls got their baskets.  Then we rushed back to the apartment and loaded up for church.  We went to church and then to our friend's house for Easter lunch.  We had ham, potatoes, spinach salad, homemade bread and fruit salad.  Yummy!  The kids played together and had another Easter egg hunt.  After the hunt we read the story of Easter from bible verses that were in some of the eggs. What a nice day!