For the first time since 2007, our family took a "just-us" vacation!  We went to Massachusetts to see Plymouth and Boston.  It was a good trip for the most part.  We did have the 9-hour drive (and the accompanying whining and bickering), plus the serious conflicts over who gets to push the elevator buttons at the hotel.  But other than that, we had a lot of fun!

The first day we visited Plimoth Plantation.  They have a Wampanoag Village and the English Settlement, both authentically portraying what life was like 400 years ago.  It was really interesting!  They had actors playing the parts of the English settlers, so you could talk to them about details of their lives.

Tab & Jesse in front of a Wampanoag home

The Indians made these canoes by burning out the inside of a tree.

Enjoying the "English Village" at Plimoth

Everything was authentic . . . even down to hand-made nails,
clapboard siding, and thatched roofs!

Beautiful view of the ocean from the high end of the village

I can't imagine living through such difficult times.  It was nice and pleasant on a sunny day in April, with a stroller full of snacks, and having slept in a bed the night before and taken a hot shower that morning.  But just imagine arriving there in December with half of your people dying from sickness, very little food, no housing until you build it yourself . . . it would've been horrible!  

Next we drove a few miles up the coast to where Mayflower 2 is docked.  This is an exact replica of the original.  This one was built in 1959 in England and then sailed across the Atlantic, just like the first one did.  It was fun to see.  But again, we were on it for maybe half an hour, while it was still, while the weather was beautiful, and with only a dozen or so people on board.  Imagine spending over 2 months in this ship with 100 other people, on a stormy sea during a freezing winter.  Instead of a nice, clean smelling boat, imagine the smells of 100 people (many of them sick) all crammed into the tiny ship.  NOT my idea of a fun adventure!

The Mayflower 2 (1959 replica of the original)

66 days in here?!?!  Rayanna couldn't sit still for a 10-second photo shoot!  

 Next we walked over to "Plymouth Rock."  Fortunately, we'd learned ahead of time not to expect anything grandiose.  There's really no evidence that the Pilgrims actually landed here, and the rock itself is . . . shall we say . . . not much to look at!

The very unimpressive "Plymouth Rock"

Jesse on the lookout for pirates

 After our day of touring we went back to the hotel for some swimming.  Jesse said that was his favorite part, and he complained every time we had to leave the hotel.  Next vacation, we'll just find a hotel with a pool right here in Maryland and skip the long drive!

The hotel pool was the main attraction for the kids.

 Friday night we went to the Boston Children's Museum.  It was pretty neat, but it was "dollar days" on Friday, so I think the entire city of Boston was there.  Way too crowded for my taste, but the kids had fun.

at the Boston Children's Museum
(very scary claustrophobia-inducing climbing structure, but the kids loved it!) 

Saturday morning we went back to Boston to walk the Freedom Trail.  We started here at this beautiful park, which was the only relaxing part of the day!

at the Boston Common park

 The two-and-a-half-mile trail is a literal red line, made of red brick in some areas and just painted on in others.  It goes past many famous sights from Revolutionary times.  It was pretty neat, but very tiring with 4 children!  Thankfully Ethan is big enough to steer the stroller now, since Jesse and Tabitha requested several piggy back rides.  We did manage to walk the entire thing, with several snack breaks and without losing any of the kids!

Paul Revere's house

a fountain near the Old North Church

We finally made it to the end of the Freedom Trail

After the long day in Boston, we went back for more swimming of course.  Sunday we drove home, vowing to never drive anywhere with children again.  But I'm already thinking about where our next vacation will be.  I guess travelling with kids is like labor pains . . . after it's over you forget how painful it is until the next time rolls around and you're wondering why on earth you did this again!?!  =)

But, all-in-all it was a good trip.  We made some fun memories, learned some interesting history, and enjoyed a break from the routine.  God blessed us with safety, lots of fun, and perfect weather.  I'm really glad we went!

What a Weekend!

This weekend my friend Kelly and I went to Created for Care.  It's a retreat for adoptive moms at a beautiful lake resort in Georgia.  We couldn't have asked for a better weekend!!  Both of us felt that it was the best retreat we'd ever gone to!  I was surprised at how spiritually restorative this weekend was.  When I went to a music teachers' convention I learned a lot about teaching music.  When I went to a homeschooling convention, I learned a lot about homeschooling.  When Heath and I went to a marriage conference it did wonders for our marriage.  So you'd think that at an adoption retreat my experience would be learning about adoption.  But that was only a small part of it.  The bigger portion of it was reconnecting with my Savior.  I came away from the weekend strengthened in my faith, overwhelmed by His love for me, and ready to face life with a new reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Everything about this retreat was amazing.  I was expecting lots of seminar sessions and discussion about adoption.  But it was so much more!  The first thing I went to was a break-out session called "Creative Quiet Times."  I thought it would just be practical tips for having devotions in the midst of young children.  It was that, but it was also the BEST personal time with God I've had in . . . . well, maybe ever!  We had time at different stations to talk with God about different things and to just listen to Him talking to us.  At the end, the lady leading the session prayed with us individually.  What she prayed for me was exactly what I needed.  I have never had anything like that happen before--where someone spoke God's Word to me as if they knew my heart and knew exactly what I needed to hear.  The rest of the weekend continued to be moment after moment of God speaking to me, restoring me, challenging me.  I hadn't expected to worship together there, but at every main session we worshiped together through music and praise.  And this was not just singing some songs; it was (at least for me) an experience of genuine worship that doesn't happen all that often.

There was also an amazing sense of bonding among the women there.  I didn't know them, but I could almost feel that these other 450 women and I all shared something profound.  Adopting and/or having a heart for orphans must radiate from within.  It was like we all understood God's heart in a special way, and we all shared the very deep experience of adopting (or waiting to adopt), that can't really be explained.  There was one break-out session called "Hangin Tough."  There were 8 of us in that group, and it was a Bible study and prayer time for those of us going through challenging times in our adoptions.  Well, we've had challenging times all along with Tabitha, and the camaraderie I felt with those women was surprising!  I wished they all lived close to me so we could meet for prayer and support all the time!

It was also really exciting to hear about many different ministries out there that exist for helping orphans.  God is doing amazing things!  Several of these ministries were started by just regular little people.  The lady who started the retreat just wanted to get about 20 adoptive moms together last year.  It turned into 200+!  This year she had to open a second retreat because the first one filled up so fast!  One "normal" person has touched hundred of women's lives in just over a year.  Another lady and her husband had a 2-year-old son when they decided to move to Uganda to await the adoption of their daughter, and started a ministry helping women earn money while they were there.  Other women had "accidentally" started a ministry just by doing one small thing to help and having it turn into something extraordinary.  It is so exciting to get out of my little American bubble and see what God is doing through normal people, just like us, all over the world!!  Heath and I are working on starting an adoption ministry at our church, and all of these ideas got me really excited for the potential of what God might use us to do!  The passion at this retreat was very, very contagious!

To top it all off, we were in an absolutely gorgeous setting, with the most perfect weather.  We had lots of good food, lots of fun, lots of fellowship, and a weekend without any interruptions or responsibilities.  This was truly a time of refreshment and restoration, and I am so thankful for it!  And thank you to my dear friend Kelly for telling me about it and getting me there!  Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Beauty everywhere we looked!

Kelly and me at lunch
(I love the verse, but the grammar error plagued me all weekend.) 

Rayanna Turns Two!

Wednesday was Rayanna's birthday.  It's hard to believe how fast she's growing up!  I feel like she's done two years of growing within the past 8 months that we've had her.  She's gone from being a baby who could barely sit, to a full-fledged toddler . . . running, walking, climbing, exploring, and with a real personality! Even though it's challenging to keep her out of trouble lately, we love seeing her learn and grow.  We had a fun time celebrating her this week, and (as you can see in the pictures) she had a great time with her birthday cake!  We love you, Rayanna!  Happy Birthday! 

Updates

I realize I've been slacking on my blogging lately.  I guess nothing too interesting has happened and/or I haven't had time or energy to write!  But, lest my family and friends die from curiosity as to what's been happening in our home, here are some brief updates on various topics.

Taxes--I must beg the pardon of the dear IRS whom I complained about so much in my last post.  They are sending us a very nice refund this year, due in large part to us adopting and having a mortgage.  So, thank you dear IRS folk for giving us back so much of our own money.  Much obliged.

Weather--I don't know about the rest of the country, but Maryland forgot to have winter this year.  We did have snow once . . . in October.  And we had flurries a few times.  But most of the "winter" was in the 50's, with the occasional 70-degree day thrown in for good measure.  And now, March 15th (which is technically still winter), it was 82 degrees.  Yup.  Can't wait to see what this does for this year's stink bug population.

Rayanna--Still our sweet baby, Rayanna is quickly moving out of babyhood and into toddlerdom.  While I'd still say she's an easy child over all, she is leaving behind her "perfect angel" status and warming up for the terrible 2's.  She's learned to have an opinion and to make it known very forcefully.  (In some circles, this might be called a tantrum, but certainly our perfect angel wouldn't do THAT!)  She's also getting very curious.  "Hmmmm.....what happens if I take all the DVD's out of the cabinet and spread them around the room?  Again?  How about for the 5th time today?"  "What happens if I climb up on the back of the couch and stand up?"  "What happens if I weasel my way onto the chair and then up into the middle of the dining room table?  How much more fun would that be if there's a full glass of water waiting for me there?"  "What is this nifty discovery called my screaming voice?  It's so fun!"  "What will Daddy and Mommy do THIS time when I spit this yucky food out of my mouth and refuse to eat anything but french fries?"  So, yeah, she's becoming much more like most children her age.  It's wonderful that she's learning so much, but it sure makes things more challenging!


Tabitha--We got our insurance summary for 2011, with a page for each person.  I didn't even get a page because I had no doctor visits at all.  The men in the family each had a couple things, Rayanna had several visits plus her eye surgery.  And then there's Tabitha!  Tabitha had a 4-page list with a grand total of $266,000. Praise the Lord for good insurance, that's all I have to say!  This year should hopefully be much less dramatic.  She is going to have a p-flap surgery done in June, here at Hopkins.  That's to fix her velopharyngeal dysfunction of course.  What?  You don't know what that means?  Well, it has nothing to do with her other ailments.  This is the little thingy in the back of your throat that's supposed to force the air out of your mouth instead of your nose when you talk.  Hers doesn't work, so this is supposed to fix that, so she won't grow up talking like "The Nanny."  =)  She also has another trip to Cincinnati in June, but just for testing.  And at some point she'll have kidney surgery there, but that's not for awhile yet.

Jesse--Jesse is a happy little guy.  He's doing great in kindergarten, excelling in his Kindermusik class, and ready to start weekly soccer this spring.  Nothing really new for him.  He continues to make us laugh and keep life fun.  :)


Ethan--Ethan is growing up too fast!  His hands and feet are almost as big as mine!  He's leaving his years of shyness behind and becoming very sociable.  He's taking piano lessons from me this year, and doing well with 2nd grade, but he's always eager to get school done so he can go outside and work on his building projects.

Heath--Heath is almost done with another remodeling project.  He used up some wasted space in our house to give us a much bigger mudroom/storage area, and it looks really great!  I can't wait to organize all the junk that was piled up in there and have enough space to find what I need!  I love being married to a builder!  :)


Me--Not much new.  Homeschooling, teaching piano, wife-ing, mom-ing, same 'ol same 'ol.  But every day is  a one-time opportunity, and each day is full of blessings . . .  if I'm awake enough to notice them!  That's a big "if."  I seem to be perpetually tired and can't find enough time to do all that needs (or I want) to get done!  Next weekend, my friend Kelly and I are going to an adoptive mom's retreat.  I'm really looking forward to the refreshment and encouragement, and some really nice grown-up girl time.  :)

Church--Heath and I have gotten permission from our church leaders to start making plans for having an orphans ministry through our church!  We don't know at all what it will entail yet, but we've just felt that God has given us a passion in that area, and we need to do something with it!  So pray for us as we seek God's direction in that.  Pray that He will send the right people to join in the effort and show us what He wants our church to do specifically.  (And if you go to MVCC and would like to be a part of it, please let us know!)


So that sums up life at the Runkles' for now.  Until next time . . .

Taxes

Last year when we did our taxes we claimed the adoption tax credit.  Actually it was the second year of doing that...we were just taking the rest of what we couldn't take the first year.  The first year they asked for no documentation and gave us no trouble.  The second year they held up our refund until we sent a bunch of documents and they took their good old time reviewing it.  We did finally get our money, complete with $19.23 of interest since they took too long.  (Never mind the fact that they don't pay any interest on the huge amounts they withhold all year long.  But I digress.)

So a couple of days ago we get an "interest paid" form for that $19.23, which is taxable income.  So, let me get this straight:  they pay us interest because they were late giving us back our own money, and then they increase the amount we have to pay this year because of the interest they paid us for their screwup?  In what world is that even remotely justifiable?!

And while I'm on my soapbox, shouldn't homeschool expenses be tax deductible?  I mean, we're saving the government money by not sending our kids to their schools, AND we have to spend money that public school parents don't!

The only good news is the gigantic adoption tax credit we'll have again this year, for Rayanna's adoption.  Let's hope they send our refund on time so we don't have to pay taxes on our tax credit.

Random Thoughts

This post is about nothing and about everything.  Just some thoughts I've had lately that I wanted to share.  =)

TALKING WITH TABITHA
On Saturday, Tabitha and I had our "Time Out."  Heath and I try to take each of the kids out one-on-one each month, alternating whether they go with Mom or Dad.  So it was my turn with Tabitha.  We went to Frederick and did some shopping.  When I go out with either of the boys, we talk, but there are also times of quiet.  Not so with my little girl.  She kept up a (mostly one-sided) conversation for the entire 3 hours we were out.  Here are some snippets of it:

As we're walking into Target:
"Tabitha, you need to stay with me and hold my hand, ok?"
"OK.  Mom will you let go of my hand now?"

As we're walking out of Target to the car:
"Mom, is it like Chinese?"
"What?"
"Chinese!"
"Is WHAT like Chinese?"
"The doors!" (said in an exasperated what-is-your-problem-why-don't-you-know-what-I'm-talking-about-tone)
How do you even respond to that?  I just don't know, so I said something to the effect of "hmmm."

During the entire drive, she started every thought with "Mom?"  . . .  As if I'm not the only one in the car; as if we're not already having a conversation.  It's almost like it's the end of a sentence, rather than the beginning:
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"What time is it?"
"2:15."
"Mom?"
"What?"
"I like my dress.  Mom?"
"What?"
(while looking out the clear window to the bright, sunny sky) "Is it raining?"
"Do you see rain?"
"No."
"Do you see puddles?"
"No."
"Do you see clouds?"
"No."
"Do YOU think it's raining?"
"No."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I don't know.  Mom?"
"What?"
"Is it my birthday?"
"No, not for another 4 months."
"OK.  Mom?"
"Tabitha, you don't have to say "Mom" every time.  I'm already listening.  Just talk.  I'm tired of saying "what" all the time."
"OK.  Mom?"
silence
"Mom?"
silence
"Mom!
silence
"Never mind.       Mom?"
"AAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH"


THE PINK AISLE

Since our "Time Out" was supposed to be about her and not me, I asked her what she wanted to look at while we were at Target.  She chose toys of course, which is fine with me.  I enjoy looking at Lego, educational toys, craft projects, and so forth.  But, no.  She saw it.  She chose it, and there we went:  The Pink Aisle.  Up until this chapter of my life I have successfully avoided The Pink Aisle.  I used to steer happily toward the "blue-er" areas of the stores, avoiding Barbie and Bratz and Hello Kitty and My Little Pony and all the rest.  It's not the literal pinkness of the aisle that bothers me so much (though I don't particularly like pink).  It's the obsession with glitz and glamour, fashion and fads.

But, into The Pink Aisle I followed my enraptured little four year old.  She saw the mega boxed set of Disney Princess Barbies.  She had to know each one's name.  She saw those little Squinkie things (1/2-inch tall figures of every possible character that come inside a little clear ball and roll around in various machines).  She had to examine every piece in the 100-piece display and know their names and know if the one in white was getting married and if that was her car.  She had to admire the princess dress-up outfits and find out who each girl modelling in the picture was and if they were going to a birthday party.  After what I felt like was an extremely long time to spend in one aisle, I tried to move on, but to no avail.  We still had to look at the Littlest Pet Shop and the Ponies and the rest of the Pink stuff.  Finally, we moved on.  I picked out a toothbrush stand for the boys' bathroom and asked her to hold it for me while I picked out some washcloths.  I guess I was taking too long, because I looked over at her, and she was sitting on the floor "pouring" something out of the toothbrush stand.  She grinned up at me and said she was having a tea party.
"Do you want to have a tea party, Mom?"
"No, thanks."
"But Mom, EVERYONE is doing it!"

Yes.  That's really what she said.  Heaven help us when she's a teenager!


REFLECTION ON THE PRICE OF GROCERIES
I have this number stuck in my mind of shopping with my mom as a kid and having her tell me that she spent about $200 every other week to feed our family (8 people).  I just spent significantly more than that on this ONE week's shopping for our family of 6, one of whom only weighs 23 pounds!  I did buy a pack of pull-ups and some socks and cleaning supplies, but it was mostly food.

I buy generic.  I buy in bulk.  I use coupons (though not tonight).  I use store loyalty cards.  I look for sales.  I buy plain and simple, nothing fancy.  I choose the cheapest version of whatever I'm buying.  I don't buy organic.  I don't buy name brands.  I don't (usually) make impulsive purchases.  I stick to my list!  I shop at Walmart for crying out loud!  What is the deal!?!?

And the worst part is, by Wednesday they'll be complaining that there's nothing to eat.

HEAVEN
My final random thought is the only serious one.  And, it's the most exciting one!  I've been learning a lot about Heaven lately.  Not just about the Heaven where deceased believers in Christ live right now, but Eternity . . . when God creates the New Earth, and we dwell with Him on it forever and ever.

I've had a LOT of Bible training throughout my life and have been a Christian for a long time.  And yet . . . somehow I've had a very limited perspective of what Eternity will be.

I always knew God was going to make a New Earth, but I didn't really understand what that had to do with us since we'd be living in Heaven.  It's only since reading Randy Alcorn's book, Heaven, and studying the topic in our current Sunday School class that I've realized just how physically real it will all be!  I never thought we'd be sitting on clouds strumming harps or anything.  But I guess I imagined everything to be very "spiritual" . . . in the literal sense of that word.  In other words, I didn't imagine things would be really physical, even though I knew there'd be houses and food and such.  But reading this book has given me a new appreciation and excitement about what eternity will be.  It will be all the good parts of this physical earthly life, without any of the bad.  We'll be able to actually physically hug our loved ones who will be there in their new, real bodies, not just floating around like ghosts.  We'll eat and work and play and laugh and worship and serve, and for the first time all of that will be as it was meant to be:  fulfilling, untouched by the frustration of the curse, full of joy, and lacking nothing.  All of our desires will be satisfied as we meet Jesus our Savior face to face and spend the rest of eternity living, eating, working, playing, laughing, worshiping, and serving in His real and very physical presence.

Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus!

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”   ~C.S. Lewis
 

Christmas Blessings

We've had an eventful Christmas week!  We were with Heath's extended family on Christmas Eve.  Then on Christmas Day we had our own family time in the morning, went to church together, and then spent the rest of the day with Heath's immediate family.

the kids with Mommom & Granddad Runkles

The next morning we left for North Carolina to be with the Stuenzi side of the family at the beach.  Just before leaving, we found out that my aunt Lisa, who's been struggling with cancer, had gone to the ER Christmas morning.  While we were driving we found out more information and it looked pretty bad, like she might not even make it.  My grandparents and all their kids had gone to the hospital in Charlotte to be with her, but the rest of the family (about 40 people) were still at the beach so we kept going.  It was a scary time for everyone, wondering how things would turn out for Lisa.  The next morning Lisa had surgery, and it went wonderfully!  It was such a relief that it went well, and such a blessing that the family could be together, and many of them be with her during this time.  We all live scattered all over the country, so having this happen at a time we were all coming together anyway turned out to be a blessing, even if it's not something you want to happen at Christmas!  You can read her story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lisastuenzi.  It's not over yet, and we certainly appreciate your prayer for her.

We all had a good time at the beach.  It was full of the usual chaos, noise, fun, games, food, and fellowship.  I'm so glad we got to go, but I sure am tired out from it all!  We came home yesterday (New Year's Eve) and were in bed by 10:30.  I normally love celebrating and counting down on New Year's Eve, but we were exhausted!   

Rayanna's first beach experience (She wasn't too thrilled about the sand.)

Rayanna trying out Grandpa's glasses

Tabitha with Great Grandpa

Stacy, Tammy, and Debbie playing some strange late-night card game

As we end 2011 I'm so thankful for all the blessings God has given us and all the things He's brought us through.  As we start 2012, I'm looking forward to a fresh start and a year full of new adventures.  Happy New Year, everyone!