Stanford Invitational

STANFORD INVITATIONAL

Drew ran a 16:02, good for 19th place in the elite high school race!

Here is the boys team on their annual trek across the Golden Gate Bridge!

And the whole team pose in front of the Golden Gate Bridge!

Yes, that is Drew reclined in the front!!

And yes, that his his girlfriend, Baylee, holding his feet!

Is it just me or is there something backwards in that thought?!?!

We are thankful for a fun and safe trip for the entire team on the long trip down and back from San Francisco. Especially since the brakes on the van Drew was in started to go out on the way down the passes back into Medford!!

The Goal!!!

Thanks to a wonderful gift from a new friend, Faye, I have reached my goal of $500 for Sarah's Covenant Homes with my marathon!!!!!

I am so very excited!!!

Now just 5 more days to the marathon--praying for health and determination!!

If you were thinking of supporting me in this endeavor and have not let me know yet---I see absolutely NO PROBLEM with EXCEEDING my goal!!

Blessings

Attitude!!

So I thought I would update on the mysterious posting a couple of days ago:

http://jdelightinginhim.blogspot.com/2009/09/can-you-guess.html

Well in the picture is Aleve, which has become my friend for my foot pain!

And my water-running belt!!! Yep, you can run in the water with that cool contraption! It is allowing my to continue training for the marathon, while allowing my foot to avoid the constant pounding on the pavement.

I was getting a little down with the pain in the feet, the trials of dealing with some of Grandma's issues and adjusting to David being more busy with his school schedule. I was struggling with attitude issues--just what I have been talking to Caleb about--it always seems to come right back at you--LOL.

Then the Lord blessed me with a wonderful worship time at church this morning--What a blessing!

And some wonderful encouragement from some fellow runners, with promises to pray for my feet--What a foot up!!

And then I came home and saw these pictures on Sarah's Covenant Home page....

This is a picture of Grace 6 months ago when she was brought to SCH.

Here is a picture of beautiful Grace now!!

Love and care and prayer can work wonders!

So attitude adjustment is complete (for the moment).

Thanking the Lord for the many wonderful ways that He has blessed my busy life today!!

Delighting in Him---Donna

Sew Fun!!

Guess what Erinn and her friend Devon did last night!!!

They pulled out the sewing machines and dusted them off to sew shirts for themselves!!

I can't remember the last time the sewing machine was actually used for something other than mending--LOL. But they were inspired by a friend a Bible study this week and off they went.

I think they turned out pretty nice myself.

I think they may now be inspired if school (that starts tomorrow for Erinn) does not get in the way. We may see more in the future.

And Hannah has been fingering the left over 'silky' fabric and giving her big sister the 'eye'.
So you might be seeing Hannah sporting the same look soon!!

Grape Harvesting

We had a full day planned today.

Drew was out of town at a meet at Stanford (He did well, I will post more when he gets home).

David was at his first classes towards his masters.

Erinn was in and out, house sitting and sewing a shirt with a friend.

So the plan was get Grandma a shower, switch out clothes for the little kids and pick grapes for more juice.

Sounds busy, but doable!!

On the way up the stairs for her shower Grandma had another seizure. Not fun! I was able to get her to my bed to sit down and wait for the worst to pass. Praying for peace in the trial for her. We were able to get the shower done with no more fun spots.

We then got on to the clothes change out, so Grandma could sit down and I could put my aching foot in the splint for a few hours. We had an uneventful 2 hours trying on all the clothes and sorting them.

Then we headed out to one of David's employee's house to pick grapes. Things got exciting again!!

We did get Grandma out to the big back yard to pick grapes.

She was having a good time and we had picked quite a few grapes!

Notice we did bring the walker in case she needed a break!

So while I was watching Hannah coax this cat out of the bushes, Grandma decided to have another seizure!! No kidding! The first time she has had two in one day. I must say it was warm and that may have had a lot to do with it. The problem is she does not say anything and you catch her in the midst. Anyways we got her into the shade with some cool rags on her neck and she was feeling better in a while. This time she said her vision was bumping around?!

Caleb got tired of picking grapes and waiting on Grandma, so he decided to feed the old apples to the neighbor cows!!

The end result!

13 quarts of wonderful Concord grape juice!

2 closets cleaned out!

1 exhausted mom/granddaughter!

I am praying for a restful night's sleep--LOL!!

Loving on Big Brother!

So what do you do when your brother is about to go away for a long weekend???

Well, you TRY to pummel him with your pillow!!!

And get plenty back in return!

Then you fall exhausted onto the couch for a little rest!

I think they will miss each other this weekend!

Have a great race at Stanford, Drew!

Another Hair Day!

Thankfully we were able to get Hannah's braids out yesterday. So today after a swim lesson we jumped into getting the new braids put in.

Now for those who do not KNOW black hair care, here are some pictures to help you understand!

First we wash the hair and leaving the shampoo in for about 5 minutes to soak well into a scalp that does not get deep washed often.

Then we condition well.

With the conditioner in, we brush out the hair with a wide tooth comb. This is not usually a pleasant experience, as there are usually a number of nasty tangles and dead hair to remove. We all loose hair every day, since Hannah's hair is all braided up, she looses all her hair from 3 weeks at one time! I did not take a picture of the pile of hair!

So part of our newest regimen is to have Hannah involved in the process, so she can see I am not pulling her hair on purpose, but that it is just part of the process.

So here is my n**d girl sitting in the bathroom sink, working on brushing out her hair. She did enjoy this even though she told me it still hurt! I did finish up for her, but it was good for her to try.

This next picture is also for those of you without dark pigment in your skin!! And NO my bathtub does not normally look like this!! Only after Hannah's hair days! I am very thankful for bleach spray which takes care of this in just a moment.

After brushing we lightly rinse out the conditioner and pat dry to head down stairs for the actual braiding process.

Next time I will try to get some pictures of the process and post them and tell the rest of the LONG process.

So I will leave you with a picture of the new braids. Hannah wanted a pony tail. Well now she has one for three weeks. LOL! I tried to put some swirl in it, but it did not work too well. And just in case you are wondering--it does look like a pony tail even without the band on it!!

Lake of the Woods Relay

Pictures from Drew's race at Lake of the Woods on Tuesday

and the BBQ we did for the kids after!

So what do you do while you are waiting at a LONG cross country race?

Well you catch LOTS of grasshoppers!

Yep, that is what is in that closed little hand!

Here Drew is finishing his 4 mile leg of the relay. His team (2 boys, 2 girls) won!!

Congratulations

Drew discussing the tremendous heat, about 100 degrees at this high lake in September, with his teammate, Jen.

Another of those great team pictures!

David and Brian cooking and cooking for the whole team!

FOOD AFTER A HARD RACE IS ALWAYS GOOD!!!

Can You Guess?

Have any idea what these are for?

Our Interesting Day!

I call today interesting, but then I guess lots of them are!!

Isn't this an awesome picture of Drew and Hannah!

Don't they look sweet!?!

Well actually they were in the process of doing this!!!

Yep, they hog tied Caleb!

Now before you try to figure out what is going on at our house, let me assure you that Caleb was running around the house for 15 minutes before this antagonizing his older brother. Yes, this is our boys bonding!

Mr. Totally Innocent--or so he would like us to think.

But he is a great big brother!

Grandma Mae is back at our house and she was adamant she did not just want to sit around.

So here you see her fixing holes in two pillows that had feathers falling out!

We might just try and figure out a way to keep her around more if she keeps this up!!!

And it has been three weeks, so it is hair time again.

You have to love the smile, she is not always smiling when I do her hair.

We also got school done.

9 quarts of grape juice juiced.

College books purchased.

Clothes washed for Drew to head to Stanford tomorrow.

Lawn mowed.

The Team!!!

NORTH MEDFORD CROSS COUNTRY TEAM 2009

The casual side of the team after yesterday's race up by the lake!

Drew is standing up in the center!

Fire Update

The fire that burned on the hill by our house, burned 630 acres before it was contained!! This is a view from the top of the hill looking down to the valley.

We are thankful for the many people who worked this fire to keep it from spreading any further.

No homes were lost

Danielle was planning on getting married at one of the homes that the fire came right up too. So we are waiting to hear what the damage is, and if she will need to look for a new venue or not!

Close to my Goal!

When I started this fundraising with my marathon for Sarah's Covenant Homes, the goal in my head was $500. I must admit I was too chicken to write it down and have it come way short!!

Today, thanks to a very generous gift from my far away sister, I can say that we are almost there!!

Since I have not been walking as much due to the heel issues, it will really spur me on in the marathon.

Thanks to all who have contributed! There are still 12 more days to get in on the fun!! LOL!!

You know 12 days sounds real close!!

View From My Windows-Right Now!!!

This is my upstairs window view of the fire that just started on the hill behind our house!

Just want to get these up quick in case we loose power too. It is among all the power lines going to the houses on the hill.

View from the deck out back!

There are 3 helicopters and 2 planes working the fire at the moment. The choppers are getting water from the near by vineyard.

Praying for the wind to die down some!

NASA Trip

Here are my space explorers ready to head into their NASA experience!

Caleb in his 'cool' stance, standing on on the moon!!

Hannah is touching the moon!! Actually it is a piece of moon rock!!

Caleb all suited up!

Caleb loves everything to do with space. It is his choice of free reading. So this field trip was right up his alley. I love this part of homeschooling. The freedom to change plans when something better comes up. And the freedom to really delve into what excites your children.

Hannah all suited up and ready to go!

And this was Caleb's favorite part aside from the actual NASA stuff.

Maybe we have a pilot on our hands!

SOCKS!!!!

Today I want to sing the praises of SOCKS!!!

Yes, those simple little pieces of material you put on before you put on your shoes, if you are blessed to have either socks or shoes that is.

During this marathon training I have been trying lots of different kinds of socks to help with blisters and also the burning on the balls of my feet! I have to wear my shoes kind of loose due to a circulation issue I have that causes my feet and hands to easily fall asleep. This has caused what I can only call a rug burn type situation on the ball of my feet from rubbing back and forth in my shoes. Can get very painful as the miles increase.

So today I tried some socks I found in David's drawer. They are like two socks together. Both of them are thin, but are actually made into one sock.

So the socks rubbed back and forth on each other AND.....absolutely no pain in the balls of my feet this morning!!! Praise God!!

I love socks today!!!

And for the record, I got in 8 miles this morning in 1 hour 18 minutes. Not to bad for me. Now those of you who run (David, Drew and some of the boys from the big D family) you are not allowed to laugh at that time!!! I was very happy with it!!

Oh and by the way I thought of posting a picture of my poor abused feet, but thought that it was not for the faint of heart. Suffice it to say blisters and calouses upon one another and 4 lost toenails is not a pretty site!! LOL!!

Have a great day and remember to Delight in Him!

My Aching Feet

Ohh!!! My aching feet!!

Now mind you, I am not complaining (too loudly) after all it is for a good cause!! But boy do both of my heels hurt! My plantar facitis is full blown in both heels, hence Drew's beautiful taping job and my night time foot splint!

I am happy to say that we have raised almost $250 together for Sarah's Covenant Homes. I am still praying for a bunch of last minute donations to help out this wonderful ministry (click on the short cut on the side bar to find out more about the ministry) You can read about my marathon for ministry here http://jdelightinginhim.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-adventure.html

So you still have 16 days to join in this effort to help out a wonderful ministry and push me through all 26.2 miles!! Wow that sounds like a lot!!! LOL!!

Drs., Therapy, NASA, and Parties!

Yesterday we were able to get Grandma into the neurologist and at least moving forward with tests that will help determine a cause. He was also concerned about her heart and will have her seeing a cardiologist to rule out any issues there. Interestingly we ended up with an older doctor and he had wonderful beside manner! He would slow down and explain to Grandma what was going on, when so many are so busy they just rush you through. It was a blessing. Grandma is now situated with her daughter for the next week at least.

David came home from work to watch the kids (Thanks Marti for offering to help) while I was gone. They played and did some school together. The kids were excited about their time together.

When I got home and tried to start school Caleb and I immediately ran into issues. Part of it was me trying to 'catch up' from the morning disturbances and the other part was Caleb, but I just could not place my finger on the issue. It was different. An anxiety that did not seem to be rooted in school and he was really unfocused.

Well we got though lunch and ran off to his Occupation Therapy evaluation. It was to be 1 1/2 hours and I was worried after the weird morning. He was quiet on the way there. I asked if there was something wrong. He said 'No'.

They therapist (Lynn) was great. She came out and encouraged him back and Caleb started engaging with her, but seemed distracted.

FINALLY he says, "Are you going to give me a shot?"

So there is was!! After all morning of trying to figure it out!! I guess he told his dad he was going to the doctor and dad playfully asked, "Are you going to get a shot?" And Caleb took that to heart and would not disclose his anxiety about the issue.

This is a small picture of a child who is very wrapped in fear.

Anyways I am encouraged about working with the therapist. She already has many ideas and is looking forward to teaching me the techniques to use with Caleb. I will post more on Sensory Integration as we start to move through the process. Those of you with adoptive kids who have interesting struggles, may want to do some research in to this area. Karin Purvis talks about it in her book The Connected Child.

So we are off to see a special NASA exhibit at the local kids museum that is in town for the weekend. Caleb is very excited. I was glad Erinn volunteered to take them down for a swim lesson this morning to keep him distracted. Hoping to post some pictures tomorrow.

Then we have a "Welcome to America" party tonight for the rotary foreign exchange student from Chile. David is his advisor for the year and also the coordinator. I do not know why he keeps saying yes to everything! Maybe we need to match him up with a two year old in the NO stage for a while--maybe David would get the hang of it!!

Agutaynen Teaching

David's brother, Stephen and his wife Ginger, are ministering to the Agutaynen people in the Philipines. They have learned the language and have been teaching from creation to Christ in their village for the last few months. Today they will be teaching on the resurection of Christ to bring all the teaching together.

I am sure they would covet your prayers as they head into this important teaching.

You can find their link on the side bar under missionaries.

Here is his latest post with a beautiful picture from this beautiful land.
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Last week, Manfred and Stephen went through the lesson about the Death and Burial of Jesus with our language helper. After the lesson, we asked him if everything was clear, and if he thought people would understand.
He likened the Agutaynen people to being out at sea. He said that through all of the Bible teaching over the last several months, the Agutaynen people have been brought to the shore. However, they are still in the water. He said they will now need to make a decision whether or not to get out of the water.
These last lessons, he said, are clear. The people who listen to the lessons will need to make the choice to take the last remaining steps to the beach.
We praise the Lord that our language helper understands what he must do to be saved and we hope that he has already made that decision to trust in Jesus alone. We pray that others have likewise made that decision too.
Please keep praying. We taught on the Death of Jesus two nights ago. Tonight we teach on the Resurrection. So far, we haven’t noticed much of a reaction from the people. We don’t know if they are missing something, or if they are simply taking time to absorb everything before making a decision. Please pray that the Agutaynens will be freed from their bondage to sin and Satan, and for wisdom for us to know how to proceed from here.