Ramble

At this moment, three children are running through the house, one is reading, one is out on an errand with the Daddy, and one is sitting on the dining table. This is how we roll.
Caleb is impossibly cute - I'm pretty sure he stole some other babies' cuteness somewhere down the line. Fortunately, this makes his life a little easier when he's been playing in the toilet, unrolling whole rolls of toilet paper, or upending everyone's cups all over the table. Last week, he swiped Abi's retainer after dinner and dropped it in the toilet...which hadn't been flushed. Ugh. She was a good sport about it, especially after we boil-cleaned it.
Dan's been loving "school" lately - it's so cute! At least one kid begins the day looking forward to school...He's got a little workbook that he's loving and after he's finished 5 or 6 pages each day, I have to make him stop. It almost makes up for the whining we are working through when it comes to waiting for food.
Ellie's starting to read! So cool. Every now and then she has a brain blank and forgets a letter (usually "e", interestingly enough), but then she'll read a whole paragraph without a hitch. Of course, she still has wild woman hair, but still - baby steps.
Noah's gotten to be pretty close buddies with one of the boys who live across the street, asking to go over his house almost every day. I'm not sure if their greatest shared interest is Lego or screen-based games, but I'm glad that he's got a friend.
One of Anna's great joys at the moment has been giving Dan and Caleb baths. She's pretty good at it, and it's obviously a big help to me. Such a blessing to see her tangibly serve others, and enjoy it.
Abi is almost finished an online Red Cross class in Babysitting Basics. She's really been enjoying it and doing well, and has big plans for serving some families as a mother's helper. Again, it's so nice to see my girls growing in maturity and work ethic.
Toby's breathing a little easier tonight - he's just finished his first major project, his Biblical Theology paper. It's due the end of this week, and he's been working so hard on it, but still being faithful to keep up on his other work (like Greek, ahem) and spend time with all of us. Yesterday we went to a local park for a wander around in the snow, and he delighted in pelting the kids (and being pelted by them) with snowballs. If it were up to me, I still would have been napping. That's why he's the fun parent.
As for me, I'd say I'm almost back to normal. I'm still loving early bedtimes and afternoon naps, but at least an "early" bed is 9:30, not 8pm, and a nap is 30 min, not 2 hours. It's all in the details, I think.
I must confess, though, I haven't been reading much, and I haven't knitted in months! I know, it's crazy - I'm starting to question my identity/sanity! I've been thinking about knitting quite a bit recently, though, so that's something. Gotta start somewhere, right?

When a change is as good as a rest, for the most part.

Many thanks to all and sundry for their kind and enthusiastic welcome of baby number 7. It's encouraging to know that even if our friends and family think we're nuts, they're kind enough to keep it to themselves. :)
As for our Christmas vacation, it was heavy on the "social" and light on the "rest". Driving through the night from KY to NJ was long - 15 hours with constant rain - but the kids were so good through the whole thing. They didn't sleep as much as we thought they would, but there was very little complaining, and the dreaded question "How many minutes until we're there?" didn't come up very much. It was great seeing family, being cooked for, and generally being spoiled for Christmas. Our trip down to MD for a weekend was a special joy, complete with more spoiling, visiting with excellent people and visiting our church family. Being in church was such a bittersweet time, as for the first time I realized just how much I miss "my people".
We headed back to NJ for a few more days and spent some time with my brother, sister, and assorted families. So much fun - I've got some great family. :) I'm not sure if the highlight was winning the soup cook-off with my corn chowder (redeeming myself from last year with a dismal loss in the chili cook-off), or playing trivia games while my brother does a frighteningly good job reading the questions in an effeminate voice - both were good moments!
We were supposed to head up to Boston to visit a church there, see some friends, and give Toby an opportunity to preach before we headed back to KY, but alas, it was not to be. There were some concerns about a winter storm getting in the way, and the airline called to cancel our first flight. We were able to reschedule for the next flight, but that was cancelled, too, with the added problem of all flights into Boston were being cancelled until Saturday night. That was going to be a little too tight and a little too difficult, so we decided to drive back a day early and travel during daylight hours - so much better! We are looking forward to scheduling another visit up/over to Boston another time, though - I've got some sightseeing to do!
We're now back into the thick of things - Toby's back to class, kids back to schoolwork, I'm back to...everything I do. I'm feeling fairly good, overall - not 100%, but almost woken up, so to speak. I'm looking forward to getting my brain and energy back - I've got stuff to do!

"You're WHAT?!"

Wow, I can't get away with anything! Clearly, those who know me know me pretty well indeed, because it seems that the only time I get really tired is when there's a bun in the oven...so our friends all knew that the Gayners were expecting baby number 7 without having to say much at all!
We are all very excited, though both Toby and I made the observation that we might be crazy once or twice. After all, a new baby during Toby's year of intense study was not part of the plan, but God always seems to choose better for us than we would choose for ourselves, doesn't He? Besides, being a little crazy seems to be the hallmark for our family, so why not just roll with it?
The current due date is July 27, which falls after Toby's graduation, and into that strange frame of time where there is no concrete plan. Always ready for adventure, we are - I wonder what state this kiddo will be born in?

Merry Christmas to all!

Well, goodness, I kind of dropped off the face of the earth, now haven't I?
I can say we've been busy, but that's not really a (good) reason. Frankly, I've been exhausted! I'm sleeping late in the morning, with a nap most days, and a general mind fog most of the rest of the time. Sometimes, your body (my body) just needs a break from the normal operating procedures, and my body has decided to do that this month. Kind of a bummer, but there we are.
We've all been looking forward to Christmas, though - I don't think anything would stop that. Our gifts are bought and wrapped, house decorated, and Christmas plans ready to be enacted. We are going to be travelling to NJ tomorrow night to spend some time with my family, visit friends in MD and enjoy a break. I get to eat a Christmas dinner that I don't have to cook, hang out with my family and watch them spoil my kids. And when it all gets a little nutso, Toby and I will visit MA for a couple of nights, staying with more folks who will probably spoil us and let Toby preach at their church.
I'll be honest, I'm not looking forward to all the driving. We're looking at a 12-hour trip - blech. We'll be doing the driving at night, which should minimize the need for stops, as well as miss a lot of traffic and cranky kids. But still...I'm in faith that it'll be worth it in the end, and in hope that God will allow us a safe and uneventful trip.
We'll be heading back to KY and college early in the New Year, so until then...
Have a very Merry Christmas and a most Happy New Year from the Gayners!

Week, Interrupted

Wow, what a big bust last week was!

About halfway through Monday, I started feeling tired, achy and heady. Off to bed I went, and there I stayed, off and on, until yesterday afternoon.

We managed to continue with school through the morning, but I was committed to staving the early stages of a head cold as much as possible, so I was determined to rest when I could.

Tuesday night came and went, having to miss my monthly ladies' meeting. They carried on without me, soldiering through, though I know it must have been difficult. ahem

Thursday was interesting, as Dan got up from a nap, gave me a hug, and promptly vomited on the floor next to me (at least not on me). The next 18 hours saw a mild D&V bug course through his little body, but he was still fairly merry through the whole thing.

Thursday night, Toby got hit with the D&V, too, and he got it bad. He was able to make it to class the next day, though, staying well away from everyone - at this point, there was nothing left to get rid of, poor guy.

Friday night, Ellie woke us around 2am to tell us Abi was calling us. Fortunately she'd made it to the bathroom in time, but she was in a bad way. And how did her caring, sympathetic mother comfort her? By tying her hair back, patting her head and running for the other bathroom, leaving Daddy to sort her out. Not that anyone actually likes when people get sick, but I can normally handle it. This time, not so much. I spent almost a half hour in my bathroom, waiting for my stomach to settle or get rid of dinner. I didn't actually get sick, but it was an uneasy night after that, I can tell you.

Saturday saw Abi, Anna, and I all in bed, sleeping with bowls nearby and fighting nausea, while Toby and the others played/shoveled snow outside. I missed the Pastor's Wives Tea, which was so disappointing, but I was still able to enjoy some of the lovely goodies that were brought home. I was especially blessed by letters from some friends from home - so encouraging!

We were planning on missing church on Sunday anyway, not wanting to share any lingering contagion, but church wound up being cancelled anyway. It was fairly quiet, everyone testing their bellies to see what they could handle (I think it was my neighbor's chili that finally cured me!). More playing in the snow, watching movies, and practicing at feeling human again.

So, here we are. I think we're all soundly back in health now, and praying we remain so for the remainder of the year - we have big holiday plans to look forward to!

Kentucy Science Center

We had a free morning on Saturday, so we decided to make the most of some free passes to the Kentucky Science Center. It was good fun!

 A Gayner family top-tip: Whenever we go out together for the day, I take a "security" photo when we arrive. That way, if I lose anyone (and that hasn't happened yet!), I have an up-to-date photo of what they look like and what they are wearing. Clever, right?

 I think most places like this have the "kid in a bubble" display, but it never really gets old. Not for this crew, anyway. Everyone had a turn, though I don't think the bubble got higher than their knees.

 They had a great KidZone area, complete with "Baby Crater". There was also the obligatory wet area, which was, of course, a big hit. I think everyone's favorite, though, was watching a demonstration called the "Bubble Explosion", which involved throwing soapy water into liquid nitrogen. Who isn't going to get excited at the words "bubble" and "explosion" used together in a sentence? It was pretty cool!

They also had an interesting display of vintage hats. The hats were interesting on their own, but more interesting was the placement of the display - clearly they have a "eclectic" section, because the hats were in a room that also featured a mummy and her history, and a couple of polar bears. Why not, right?

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The day after Thanksgiving...For most it probably means shopping, and maybe some extended rest time, especially if you joined the madness at 2am. For us, it's been a time for tidying up a messy kitchen, catching up on some neglected chores (laundry, ahem) and chilling. And studying, for Toby.

 

We had a great time yesterday. We watched some of the parade in the morning, though it was the Philly parade, since they're the only ones who will stream things online. The kids were baffled at why they kept singing Christmas songs and "doing Christmas-y things" when it's only Thanksgiving. Good question, really.

 

I pottered around in the kitchen with some ham and parsnips to keep me company. Since about 5 for so families had planned to meet up for Thanksgiving dinner, we all took responsibility for different parts - I made honey mustard parsnips and ham to share. Interestingly, most folks had never had a parsnip before and weren't really sure what it was. Granted, I didn't exactly grow up eating them either. I'm not sure how everyone felt about them - I know people ate them, and I didn't see anyone gagging on them, so I'll take that to be a good sign. The ham was okay, but not great. The funny thing about the ham is that Toby bought a 7lb piece of meat, which we decided probably wouldn't be enough, so he bought a second, equally-sized joint. Out of the 14lbs of meat we brought, I figure we all ate about 5lbs of it - needless to say, we'll be eating ham-based leftovers for a little while.

 

When we all got home, we were so very tired! I'm not really sure what was so taxing, but the little kids were in bed by 7pm, and the big ones followed a half hour later. The girls took books to bed, but no one really complained about an early night. Poor Toby - as soon as we walked in the door, he crashed. He'd been fighting a runny nose and some congestion all day, so by the evening, he was done. It was good, however, to get a very good night's sleep.

 

Here's to a restful and enjoyable holiday weekend, for one and all!

Tradtions

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. (Newsflash, right?)

I figure most families have their own traditions they observe around Thanksgiving.  I suspect most families feature food, football, and the Macys Parade in there somewhere. Because we spent our first 9 Thanksgivings in a country that doesn't observe this particular holiday, our traditions were basically limited to a turkey dinner when Toby got home from work. When we moved to the US, we had some more options regarding how we'd like to celebrate this particular holiday, but not a whole lot of ingenuity. Over the past few years, we've started including a few things that would help us find some middle ground between crazed crafting excess and total inertia. Things like:

• Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember by Barbara Rainey. I don't remember where we got this book and CD from, but it's been such a blessing. The artwork in the book is lovely, and the narrator on the CD is excellent. I don't know about you but the reader can really make or break a story. Going over the history of the Thanksgiving story, it's an excellent reminder of what this holiday is about, and inspires more things to give thanks for (like not having to endure a 6 month ocean crossing when I moved!).
• Not shopping.
  

I know that this is a big thing this year, but this is something that our family has observed for years. For holidays of any kind, if you're shopping, someone else has to be manning the store so that you can do so. How about we all stay home with our families, as far as is possible?

• Simple crafts. By simple, I don't mean needing a dozen Martha Stewart supplies and several hours-worth of drying time. I mean things like everyone writing down 3 things they're thankful for on some leaves or something. Color in a hand-shaped turkey. Make a construction-paper pilgrim hat. Pin the feather on the turkey. Pinterest has loads of ideas, of course, but remember - if it's likely to take longer than half an hour or increase the stress level exponentially, skip it.
• Play some games. Holidays are the perfect time to unearth those underplayed games. Except Monopoly. Never play Monopoly if you want to encourage familial peace and harmony. Play word games, charades, games that just make you laugh. Then be thankful for the ability and opportunity to laugh.

Tomorrow, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with some of the other Pastor's College families, and it's going to be a blast. We won't be shopping, we'll do some simple crafts and play some games, and we'll definitely be watching some football. We're really looking forward to it. What will your family be doing?

Sharing the Love

I've been knitting for about 6 years, and in that time I've made hats, blankets, sweaters, etc. I've learned a few tips and tricks, but I'd never tried socks...until now!

I bought some beautiful, autumnal colored Noro Taiyo sock yarn at the local yarn store (props to Sophie's Fine Yarn Shoppe!) with some birthday money (still working through the birthday gift money!) before our trip to Orlando last month, with the commitment that now was the time to try to tackle the sock project. With confirmation that the TSA would, in fact, allow circular knitting needles on board a plane, I was ready for travel.

 It took a while to settle on a beginner-type sock pattern, and I eventually chose the Noro Stripey Sock pattern. I didn't go with two different colors for the true striping, but just knit my way through the yarn and let the chips fall where they may. They fell pleasantly, I think.

They are warm, colorful, soft and lovely. There is one problem, though - they are somewhat...large. Like really large. I know it's mainly because I used size 3 needles instead of the size 1 or 2, as suggested. It's at times like these where I must acknowledge that somethings are simply meant to be. In this case, it is my husband who was clearly meant to have these new socks. And he loves them, of course - they are warm, colorful, soft and lovely.

So, I got to learn a new knitting skill, and Toby got some new hand knit love. A win-win scenario, for sure.

This week, I'm...

...reading a few books, including Grace for the Good Girl, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, and some library books on my Kindle. I'm loving that little machine! I use it on the exercise bike, in bed (where I can see the screen with the lights off), and I've downloaded some school pdfs to assist in our schoolwork. Excellent.

...listening to Pandora a lot. Sometimes it's Adele radio, sometimes 80s cardio mix (Vanilla Ice, anyone?), sometimes PG Comedy. I like the comedy if I'm cooking at night. It makes the work seem less like work. Our old CD player broke shortly before our move and we never got around to replacing it, so Pandora is where it's at.

...knitting this little something for Dan. It's been good to use up some yarn I've had hanging around for ages, and this boy needs some extra warm stuff, but the pattern isn't grabbing me. I don't know why, I think perhaps I'm not paying as close attention as I ought. I  think it'll pick up when the neck decreases finish and I start doing the body.

...playing games with my kids. I know that for a lot of superstar parents out there, this is a daily event, but that's not really how I roll. Usually by the end of the day, I've had enough interaction that a groupon to a sensory deprivation tank sounds like a real treat, but I've been trying to push the limits of my comfort zone in an attempt to bless my children. A couple of times it kind of back fired (more like a conflagration), but mostly, it's been kind of cool.

...getting excited about the holidays - isn't most everyone? We're staying local and having Thanksgiving with about half of the PC families this year, which will be mega fun, I'm sure. Christmas will have us heading back east to do some visiting. I'm a little daunted by the travelling, but I'm choosing not to think too much about that yet...

...being thankful for a healthy family. So many are coming down with the dreaded lurgy, but so far, we are unaffected. Watch this space...

...proud of my kiddos. Sure, there are times when I can totally understand why some animals eat their young, but I've been seeing lots of grace in my kids. Ellie is just beginning to sound out small words, I regularly get offers of help in the kitchen, Abi and Anna really seem to enjoy helping Ellie and Dan with their workbooks on occasion, and it's so sweet when an older kid sits down to read a story to littler one.

...proud of my husband, too. The man works so hard, loves what he's doing, and doesn't mind being ragged on for being the "old man" in the class (on his Greek quiz this week, he had to translate "Toby is old but cool" from Greek to English. No joke.). He spends time with all these crazy children every day, changes diapers, takes me on dates and lets me beat him at bowling (but just the one time). And I don't think I know anyone who loves to serve as much as him. And he's mine, so back off. :)