nO MorE diAperS!

*sigh*

The three year old is FINALLY toilet trained. "I'm a big guy now" he reports. All this mother can say is Praise the Lord!! I honestly was praying about it. Son one trained rather easily and fairly fast. Son two has been a very different story. 

And if you were thinking of asking me for my potty training advice, don't bother. I don't have any. None of the advice I received this time around worked for me. So I just waited until he was ready. 

I feel a need to celebrate. We are now diaper free for the first time in 10 years and 10 days. Wahooo!! I think we'll have banana splits. Care to join us?

A tea for girls

So, in between supervising two girls making bread (8 loaves total), chatting online with my sister in Alaska, answering the phone, downloading pictures, chasing three younger children to the great outdoors to play. . . I'm blogging. 

One of the dear ladies from church invited the girls and me for tea. She also invited Carol and Becky Kauffman. Becky is just a year older than Emelyne and a good friend to all the girls.

Brenda was our hostess. She created a tea with several courses. We began with chilled strawberry soup and crispy dainties she'd make from bread and flour tortillas. Then we moved on to wee sandwiches and veggies and layered jello salad. The meal finished off with 4 different kinds of scones, Devonshire cream, strawberry and lemon curd, shortbread and of course, tea. Choices for tea were Mint Medley or Constant Comment. 

When we arrived Brenda had the girls draw numbers. Whoever chose #1  got first pick of Brenda's hats to wear for tea. 

We had a lovely time!! 

Sophia clowning around after tea

Elsa took her own hat, one Esther wore in a cousin's wedding several years ago. 

Brenda serving Sophia. . .

Emelyne loves to pose for pictures!!

The other Carol.  And yes, it was highly confusing to have two Carols there! 

Second course goodies!!

Becky with a hat to match her dress.

Somehow, girls and tea just go together. 

a story for your heart. . . "99 balloons"

Three-year-old "isms"

Tristen is three. And three year olds say the funniest things. 

Here are several of my favorite quotes from the last week. . . 

"Mama, can we talk?" This was asked as we sat at the supper table surrounded by many other Hobb(it)s. As I'm sure you can imagine, mealtime with 5 children is not often quiet. I think that amidst the hubbub of conversation Tristen was wanting to make sure he didn't get left out of anything important that needed to be said. Or heard. 

The other "ism" was heard as we were discussing where Papa was (visiting someone from church) and when he would be home (in time for supper). Tristen was laying on the floor with his camouflage pillow and puppy blanket. "Mama, Papa's so wonderful!" Couldn't have said it better myself! :o) 

Another thing Tristen says rather often is "I'm thirsty for. . . " He hasn't learned the difference between hunger and thirst yet, so he's thirsty for M&Ms, thirsty for candy, thirsty of supper, thirsty for hot dogs, thirsty for yogurt (although when he says it, it sounds more like mogurt), and one time he even said he was thirsty for Walmart. Hmm. 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Righteousness, for they shall be filled." Jesus

The picture of Tristen was taken recently when we were in Ohio. Also in the picture is my cousin Seth Showalter. Tristen looks remarkably like Seth did when he was much younger. Seth, along with his parents and 3 brothers, leave next week for a two year assignment in North Africa. 

P.S. Daniel did some adjustments on Rosie's shifter and everything is back to normal. No more adventurous shifting. 

Don't try this at home. Unless you're up for adventure.

About a month ago we purchased a Subaru wagon on eBay. Rosie Cotton (Yes, we are one of those strange families who actually name their vehicles. And yes, there is a reason her name is Rosie. She's a beautiful dark red color. I added the Cotton because, well, if you're a fan of LOTR, you'll understand.) Rosie needed a new clutch, but now she's ready to drive. I love to drive a tight little 5 speed, and Rosie fits the bill. 

So, Wednesday afternoon the girls and I were off to Walmart and a few other stops. After one stop I went to shift into reverse in the parking lot and viola, the whole gear shifter came off in my hand. 

First, let me tell you what I did not do. I did not cry. I did not curse. I did not pray. I did not call my husband. I think maybe I should have prayed, but I wasn't worried about anything. And Jesus knew where I was anyway. 

Here is what I saw:

Hmm. 

And here is what I did: I decided I would see if I could actually shift the car while I was still in the parking lot. I figured if it worked, I could just finish my shopping and drive home. If it didn't work, I could always call my darling husband and yell for help. 

It worked. I was thrilled. :o) 

It was kinda fun. 

Don't try this unless you like adventure. 

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering what choice names we have for our other vehicles, I'll tell you. Our green Suburban is called Big Daddy. And Daniel's little Mazda pickup that blows clouds of blue smoke on start up (when there's really nothing in the world wrong with his engine), well, he's called Little Smokie. Little Smokie's up for sale now that we have Rosie Cotton. Any takers?

Among other things. . .

*sigh* I never intended it to be so long between blog posts. I love blogging. But alas, as I mentioned before, it is summer. And I don't remember a summer quite as "traveled" as this one. Although I guess last summer had it's own unique set of circumstances. Moving a family of 7 who've lived in the same house for 5 years and accumulated lots of "stuff". So, maybe this summer isn't quite so crazy after all. . . 

So far this summer we've enjoyed 

• a trip to D.C., 
• a week of Hobbs family vacation (Daniel's dad, grandmother, sister, brother, sister-in-law, four cousins ages 5 and under. . . plus our family* * * what a wonderful time!!), 
• a 50th wedding anniversary celebration,
• then the Yellow Bus Adventure (see previous post),
  
• a week at home to recover from the comings and goings and celebrate Tobin's birthday
• a week at Beulah Camp in Gordon, Pa. Daniel, Nathan, Esther, Carlee and I did all the music for camp this year, and Dr. Allen Brown was our evangelist. 
• a trip to Ohio for Choral Camp at RBC. Emmy and Sophia LOVED Choral Camp! And since RBC is located only minutes from my parents home, we loved the week with Grandpa and Nana. We've spent some time nearly every day in their pond. I must say that the Hobbits are becoming quite the little fish. Very brown little fish. 

*sigh* So here I am in Ohio. I drove our Suburban from PA to OH last Sunday with 7 children (I brought along 2 girls from Belleville who needed a ride to Choral Camp). 

It's been a whole week without my husband. And I'm over it. These times give me a whole new appreciation for parents who "go it alone" all the time. I'm the one who is responsible for everything. Everything from Scripture reading and prayer in the morning, to tucking in and prayers at night. Keeping track of swimmers in the pond, and little children who forget to close doors and let all the air conditioning outside. Children who struggle with bad attitudes just because the summer has been so much time away from home. And Papa isn't here. 

And so we're staying on at Mom and Dad's house until our church conference begins on Thursday, July 24 in northern Ohio. With gas prices as they are it didn't make much sense to drive all the way home and then back again several days later. Besides, it give the children (and me!!) a chance to spend time with Grandparents. And Greatgrandparents. 

My dad's parents have been living with Mom and Dad for the last several years. With Grandpa and Grandma Showalter's declining health, Mom and Dad have entered the challenging phase of caregiving. They are doing a beautiful job of creating a peaceful, loving, stable environment in which the elders can grow old with dignity. 

This makes coming home to Grandpa and Nana's house an interesting phenomenon. We presently have in this home: 3 adults, 5 children ages three to nine, and 2 very elderly adults who require care. The combination has been very interesting. Hmm. Did I say that already?

Great grandma loves the activity and never wants to miss anything. She loves to listen in on stories that are read. She loves to sit by the patio doors at the back of the house and watch the activity in the pond. She wants to make sure she's not in anyones way. 

Great grandpa likes things quiet. He doesn't hear well and when his hearing aids are turned up he catches all kinds of little sounds the children make. I've had to tell Sophia not to whistle in the house. He is constantly watching the children and reminding them to close the doors, or not to throw balls in the house or something else he sees them doing that he thinks they shouldn't do. 

And so I have to be reminded not to take things personally. And remember that I'm living in a nursing home these weeks. I want the children to be sensitive to the elders, but it has been rather hard to make sure they're always quiet, or not running, or speaking in an inside voice. I know these are very special days with Grandparents who may not be around much longer. I must cherish them while I still have them.

Sorry there aren't any pics to accompany this rambling post. If you reach this point, I congratulate you. You must be one of my very faithful readers! Probably the rest gave up by the end of the first paragraph. 

There are deep thoughts rolling around in my head, but it's too early to blog about them. The last several weeks have been full of a lot of emotion regarding things happening at church and our involvement there. But that's a post for another time. . .

And so, that's my update for now. . . among other things. . .

I'm here! I'm here. I'm. here. I think I'm here. Am I here?

Yes, I really am still alive. But it's summer. And for us, summer means family vacations (sorry, no pics of that coming), and extra ministry trips, and many, many birthdays. 

The last month has held more quaking of the deep places of my heart than I'm ready to share at this point. But maybe soon. . .  For those closest to me, you already know. For those of you who live farther away and would like to know before I'm ready to blog, just send me an email.

Yup. It's me and my best friend. I love nothing more than to be involved in ministry with Daniel. And God opens windows for that along the way. Last week was one of those.

Daniel and I were privileged to be leaders for the Yellow Bus Adventure, a four day, three night "overnight vacation Bible school" held in Gordon, PA and sponsored in part by FHC Ministries, a group pastored by Daniel's dad, Michael Hobbs. Daniel and I led the music, but were also involved in a campfire story (Daniel told the story of Gideon's Pot-- as first recounted by our dear friend Larry Guthrie) and I did morning coach time (devotions) with all the girls. 

YBA is for kid's in grades 2 through 8, so you can imagine the noise, the smells, the attitudes, the enthusiasm, the needs, the attention spans. Need I say more? 

I love YBA. We had a big mix of kids from church and kids from "town". Kids who know all the Bible stories already, and kids who don't. Kids from homes with a mom and a dad. And kids who have no idea where their dad is. It was incredible to send kids home having memorized Scripture, watched the Scripture acted out in a very memorable way and having learned songs that speak the truth of God's word in a way they'll never forget. 

That's me on the left, then Julie Bradford and my sister (in-law) Esther. We were the paparazzi, each with our own SLR camera, shooting anyone close to us. 

Here's William Straight, director of YBA. We worked with an incredible team!! Wow. So much creativity packed into a short time. 

Team colors!! Staff had black shirts this year, the boys team was green, and blue, yellow and red were girl's teams. 

Ready for YBA: duffle bag, sun visor, flashlight and Bible. 

Josh and Will: our faithful computer geeks. :o) Will has a gift for mentoring the young men around him. Josh is one of those. 

Putting motions to songs brings so much joy to the kids, and helps them to remember the songs. One hymn we did was written by Keith Getty: "Hear the call of the Kingdom". Hopefully it will be posted on youtube soon and I can share it. It was incredible!! 50 children singing "Hear the call of the Kingdom, lift your eyes to the King." And then the chorus: "King of Heaven, we will answer the call! We will follow, bringing hope to the world. Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim salvation in Jesus name." There were times I could hardly sing, it was so overwhelming. 

chow time!!

adventure time!

Afternoon sports time on a soccer field close by. Tristen and I were waiting for the kids to arrive and Daniel grabbed the camera. :o)

Jake: all ready to run the 100 yard dash!!

The girls with some of their "bestest" friends.

Yes. That's me. The kids love to have adults join in the fun, so I was talked into the long jump. Imagine. No. Don't. 

At YBA we use a point system for everything from Scripture memory to good attitudes and our girls were on the winning red team!! 

Saying goodbye was NOT fun. 

Now, on to our first summertime birthday: Tobin turned 5 on June 23. We celebrated with a family from church whose son turned 14 the same day. With a river close by, what better way to celebrate than with a fire, hotdogs, mountain pies, marshmallows, cake and several hours in the river. Most of the time in the river was spent with snorkel masks on looking for "treasures". You know, things like broken dishes, old tire rims, large pieces of discarded, waterlogged rugs, snail shells, broken clocks. 

Tobin, Tyler and Tristen

And lastly, Grandma Showalter has been a caretaker of roses for as long as I can remember. In March she sent me a rosebush from Jackson and Perkins. It's a hybrid tea rose and has bloomed for the first time. I only wish I could include the smell. It's heavenly. 

That's all for now. There is so much more in my heart to write, but I haven't the time. Maybe soon.