Clothing Dilemma

Tabitha is very difficult to find clothes that fit well.  She's SOOOO skinny and has a VERY long torso, so there's always a big gap between her shirt and pants, unless her shirt is double her width in order to be long enough!  We've gotten a lot of her clothes as hand-me-downs, so I don't really bother with the size on the tags, I just try it on her.  So for the past few months she's been wearing this really cute shirt that I LOVE because it actually fits right!  Slim enough for her, but long enough to not show her back when she bends over.

Cute shirt, huh?  Well, one day I noticed that the shirt has what looks like belt loops.  How odd, I thought.  Upon further investigation it turns out that it's a size 2T.  Not a shirt at all, but rather  . . . .

a dress:

And I thought the girls were built so differently they'd never be able to share clothes.  Silly me!  =)

Ethan's Debut

I had my studio piano recital tonight.  I usually have 2 each year.  This one was special for a couple of reasons.  One of my students is graduating this year.  I've taught him since he was 9 years old!  And now he's going off to college and will even be majoring in music.  It's exciting to see all he's accomplished and sad to be letting him go!  The other thing that made this recital special is my newest student . . . Ethan!  This was his very first recital, and he surprised me by actually wanting to participate!  He got a little nervous ahead of time, but stayed calm enough to play well.  I'm very proud of him!

Updates

I have some updates on extended family:

My aunt Lisa, whom I posted about last August, continues to battle cancer.  She's been through numerous treatments and surgeries.  Things look good for awhile, then they look bad, then they look good, then they look bad.  It's been a very hard time . . . for her and also for the whole family.  She's been going through a clinical trial, which has seemed to be having good results.  But now she has to take a break from that to get radiation on some tumors causing intense pain.  She has been such a trooper through all this, and is trusting the Lord.  It's been great to see her responding to this in a way that glorifies God.  But, as wonderful as that is, I think the human side in all of us is desperate for this trial to be over and Lisa restored to health.

Meanwhile, my uncle (also on my dad's) side, just had a severe stroke this week and is in the hospital.  Both Lisa and Jeff are young--nowhere near the age where you expect to hear about health problems like these.  It's really strange because on both sides of my extended family, we've never dealt with big medical issues like this (at least to my recollection).  My mom's the oldest of 4 kids, my dad's the oldest of 10.  Both sets of my grandparents are still alive and healthy, and our extended family has always had good health for the most part.  I guess that's a pretty unusual blessing, but it's kind of made me feel that "all that stuff" happens to OTHER people's families, not mine!  Anyway, Lisa and Jeff are on opposite sides of the country (NC and CA), which I'm sure is putting an added toll on my grandparents and aunts and uncles.  Prayer for all of them is definitely appreciated!

And finally, some good news!  My brother Michael is home!!  He's still a few thousand miles away from me, but having him in Alaska is a much better feeling than having him in Afghanistan!!  We're very thankful for his service to our country, and we're very, very thankful for his safety!  Welcome home, Michael!!

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 . . .