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. . .