Get Outta Town

Something we've always liked doing is day trips. In Ohio, we tried to find all the historical sites near enough to drive to, especially if there was hiking available.

This week's trip was a day trip to Chaminuka, a game park and lodge near Lusaka. It's only about an hour (+) from our house, and one bonus was that the 20 km of gravel/dirt/rock road from the airport to Chaminuka was largely paved!

We got there around 9:30 which gave us time to explore a little before going on a game drive. We saw giraffe, zebra, eland, bushbuck, impala, ostrich, wildebeest, and elephant. That doesn't include the fenced-in cheetahs, lion, and lynx.

 After the game drive, we hung around the lodge for a while. Andrew and I tried to play snooker. I don't understand the game, and the big sign with the rules didn't help a whole lot.

Then we had lunch, a buffet with fresh grilled chicken, beef, pork ribs, and African sausage (as well as a lot of other stuff). Delicious and enough to stuff me.

We played around the pool (the kids got in, but the water was pretty cold), met some members of a mission team from Willow Creek (Chicago) who had been serving in Lusaka, and then we went fishing. Actually, Andrew and I went fishing while the rest of the family went for a boat ride.

Yeah, our fish weren't very big. But Andrew was pleased as punch to have caught fish (I think we each caught three. Maybe he caught four. None were much bigger than the ones pictured).

It was a really nice day trip, though too expensive to do often. But who else is going out and seeing these kinds of animals close up?

Five

Andrew celebrated his fifth birthday this past week, and it got me to thinking about birthdays.

I don't remember most of my birthdays; I remember one when I was sick and I got a woolly mammoth model, but I don't even remember what year that was. I remember one in college when my sister woke me up at approximately 12:01 to be "the first" to wish me a happy birthday... and shortly after we hung up, my roommate came in and was on the phone until 2:30 or so, and the next day I got some birthday cards in the mail and a fraternity brother asked, "What is it, your birthday?" and when I said "yes, as a matter of fact, it is" he didn't even respond with an obligatory "happy birthday."

But I do remember my fifth birthday. For several reasons. One was that I remember feeling like five years old was big stuff. I finally reached the big time.

The second reason I remember my fifth birthday was the unique "present" I got on my fifth birthday. My brother and sister and I woke up earlier than our parents (think "crack of dawn") and went downstairs to play, and we were surprised to find an indoor pool to play in! The sewers had backed up and our entire basement was filled with an inch or two of, well, sewage. Being little kids, we played in it, floating bottle caps and so forth. When my parents got up, they were shocked and not in a good way. We spent the rest of my birthday at grandma's house.

The third reason I remember my fifth birthday was what I got. As a little boy, I would get fixated on one thing and one thing only when it came to gifts. Sure, I'd mark up the toy catalog with everything I wanted, like Hulk Instant Muscles, but I generally only wanted one thing. That particular year, the "one thing" was a Big Wheel. The only problem was that my parents couldn't afford one.

No problem, I thought. I'd pray for one.

So after I'd been praying for a Big Wheel, my dad was out getting the word out about my mom's new preschool, and he found someone's discarded little Big Wheel (toddler size) that he thought maybe he could somehow fix up for me, so he strapped it to the back of his bike and rode on. Sometime later, he was stopped by someone driving a truck. "You want some more of those?" - In the back of his truck (among other things), the guy had parts from Big Wheels and he was on his way to the dump with them.

When my dad got finished with the parts, he had enough, not only for a Big Wheel for me, but also one each for my brother and sister!

(and since we were at Grandma's house, where there was no sidewalk, I got to ride it inside)

My fifth birthday was big time. I remember it and God's provision whenever things seem scarce.

Vacation

Vacation: use it or lose it. When life is as busy as ours is, it can be hard to schedule vacation time. My vacation year goes from July 1 to June 30, and if you've been following my life, you know that our July through the beginning of November and mid-December through January were characterized by foster children, and we're not really supposed to take foster children out of state. There are some who suggest a "stay-cation" but that's really impossible for us; a small town pastor is rarely not "on call."

So February came and we were looking at our schedule, and we realized that Jonathan will be playing soccer in April-May, and Andrew is going to play t-ball in May-June, and I don't particularly like to take vacation during Lent (though I worked with a senior pastor who took Holy Week as a vacation week). That left us with a few weeks in which to squeeze vacation... then we had to decide to go somewhere warm or cold.

Since we had been somewhere cold all winter, we decided on warm. Then Tara found a good deal on a cruise. We had never been on a cruise, so I was a little nervous about it. Would we get seasick? Would we get claustrophobic, stuck on a ship (or stuck in a tiny stateroom)? Would the kids enjoy it?

We headed down toward Miami, taking a couple of days' detour in Kentucky at the grandparents' house (and catching up with a friend for a tough trail run). Then we hit the road, and on the way, we were treated to an unexpected surprise... driving down I95 toward Miami, we started noticing tons of traffic at every intersection. We realized they were all out to watch the Space Shuttle launch. As we continued along the intersection, we kept our eye out... and got to see the launch! It was unbelievable. I never thought I would actually see one in person.

Some highlights from the cruise itself: I had seen all sorts of pictures of the Caribbean, but it was amazing to actually see how clear and blue the water was. It was amazing. I loved snorkeling; I wondered if I would like it; would I see fish? (answer: yes! yes!) The fish were all colors, shapes, and sizes. Imagine going to a store that specializes in tropical fish, but instead of having the fish in separate aquariums, they are all just swimming free through the coral, and you can swim with them and enjoy looking at them.

We seriously loved Antigua; our driver pointed in the direction of the Methodist Church there (I wondered what it would take to get appointed there). We loved the smaller islands - we had a great walk around St. Kitts that we enjoyed a lot. The weather was fantastic - while Ohio was getting yet another snowstorm, we were suffering through 80* and sunny.

On the return trip to Miami, we were making pizzas with the boys (as part of the kids' programming, which the boys loved). I was looking out the window, thinking I might see some marine wildlife (every wave "might" have been something), and off in the (not-so-far) distance I saw something... it could have been a fin or a tail or a wave. But then I saw a spray and I knew it had to be a whale. Then it blew again. By this time, I'd called everyone over, and then it started to show off. It was a humpback whale, and it jumped clear out of the water a couple of times! It sure looked like it was having fun!

It was a fantastic vacation - very relaxing, very fun, and nice and warm, and we got back in time for Lent!

The Fun of Being a Preacher

There are times when preaching is hard. Sermon preparation isn't always easy; sometimes a message just falls together, but most times, preparation is long and difficult. Prayer (it's hard waiting long enough to listen to God - that's why prayer has to to come first... and second... and third...), Bible study (you wouldn't believe how many things from my personal Bible study seem to apply 100% to what I'm going to preach), research (commentaries, other authors, etc) all go into sermon preparation. Then I shape the message, cutting material, re-organizing (over and over again), reading through it to make sure it's cohesive, and preparing a powerpoint presentation to go along with the message.

But there are just some things that one can't prepare for.

For example, this week during the message, I realized that a scripture I was going to read contained the word "hate."

We don't use that word in our house.

And my kids know it. And they know that rule well enough to correct other adults.

I approached the scripture, realizing that I was going to have to do something, because my kids were sitting in the front row. And they listen. And the scripture (John 15:18-21) contained the word "hate" multiple times.

I started reading the scripture, and I watched Andrew's eyes get big. "We don't say 'hate'!" he exclaimed. So I stopped and explained to him that he's right, we don't say "hate" but this was a case where it was in the Bible because Jesus knew how much people would dislike him. I was ready to give myself a "great dad/preacher" pat on the back, but then Andrew piped up in the kind of voice that only a preschooler would use during a church service.

"We don't say "stupid""

I continued in the message, somewhat embarrassed, trying to just go on with my thought. But Andrew wasn't finished yet.

"We don't say poopiehead!"

Yes, he managed to include all of his "bad words" in front of the whole 9:00 church service. At this, I couldn't contain the laugh. I busted out laughing and said, "I love being a dad." Everyone who heard him was laughing, too. He loved it. I did, too. Yes, it was distracting. No, he doesn't do that every week. Yes, Tara quieted him down quickly and I continued with the message.

The kid is definitely my son, isn't he?

Reflecting Back on 2010

I honestly haven't talked to anyone who told me that they would miss 2010.  Many of my friends really struggled over the course of the year and all of them were ready to turn the page from 2010 to the new possibilities of 2011.  I find myself optimistically joining them, all the while remembering that while we only get to celebrate a new year once a year, God's mercies are new every morning.

Reflecting back on the year that was, I have to acknowledge some highlights.  During Lent, I undertook a challenge to read the entire Bible.  I had read the whole Bible in a year, but this was time I was reading it in forty days!  It was challenging, but it was absolutely worth it.  I read, I listened to it on my iPod.  I was always in the scriptures, reading around thirty chapters every day. There were times I struggled through (and I found that I paid better attention to some genres by listening to them, while others were better read).  I most enjoyed the connection of reading the Bible in its entirety - how many Old Testament references had I never gotten or understood when reading the New Testament (because I hadn't just read them)?  This was one of the best challenges I have done.

Following this wonderful challenge was the best vacation my family has ever taken.  After Easter, we took off for Florida for a three week vacation (I blogged about the trip here, here, and here).  It was great to relax (we had no agenda and the only time we even paid attention to the time was on Sundays when we wanted to make it to church).  I was a little worried how life would be for the kids without toys and how life would be for all of us sharing a tent... and it was great.  We came back recharged and rejuvenated. 

The Summer of 2010 was unlike any summer we have experienced.  Just before the 4th of July, we brought two foster sons into our house.  They stayed four months, and it was difficult.  God tells His people to seek out the least and the lost, to care for the orphan and the widow, which sounds all well and good, but in practice it is difficult.  Especially when the orphan has been abused and neglected.  It was great to see some fantastic members of our church step up and help take care of them, to invite them to sit with them on Sunday mornings, to pray with us and for us, even coming to our house and praying against the generational curses that plagued these little boys.  We were glad to see them come a long, long way in those four months.  They've still got a long way to go, and their new foster parents (which will hopefully be their adoptive parents) need your prayers as well.

This August marked my 20 year high school reunion.  In one way it doesn't seem like it has been 20 years since I graduated high school, but in another way, it was completely another world ago. I didn't recognize more people than I did recognize (why did all those old people come to my reunion anyway).  I was glad I went, but the next time I'd probably rather call up the friends I went to school with and have an informal get-together instead of going to a bar.

After my last marathon I had decided I was content to have run two - I would focus on shorter distances.  I had enjoyed running 5K races and half marathons, tossing in some long runs, but not having any desire to run more.  But this summer, largely because of the motivation I received from my new friends on Dailymile, I got the bug again.  In October I ran the Columbus Marathon, smashing my old personal record by 38 minutes!  I even ended up having my picture being the main picture on the Columbus marathon website!

After the two boys left our home and our family went back to a family of four, we decided we needed another break together.  We took (most of) a week and went to Tennessee.  We stayed in a fantastic cabin up in the mountains (with a really scary driveway, which I mastered after three days).  The cabin had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a really cool spiral stairway, and an outdoor hot tub!  We loved hiking (our boys made it all the way up to the top of the Chimney Tops despite the ice and snow). Gatlinburg had a fantastic Christmas parade, and the trip was amazing.

December came, and with it came our new foster baby.  But unlike all of the other foster kids we've had, when we've only had an hour to prepare our house for them, he's in the NICU and didn't make it home in 2010 (so he'll probably make my "highlights of 2011" blog).

In many ways it was a challenging year, but God is good and His mercies are new every morning!

The Waiting Game

Anyone who has had a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) knows the waiting game.  The first question is always "when can I take my baby home?"  It seems pretty common for "them" to tell a parent of a preemie "we want to keep him until his due date" so the waiting game begins.

Not only do we get to wait, but we get to drive back and forth to the hospital.  And get to know the wonderful, compassionate nurses who work in the NICU.  And the check-out folks in the cafeteria.

Then they give some good news: when the baby gets to (insert milestone here), we'll start the release procedure. A good thing to remember when you hear this is that this doesn't mean the baby gets to go home whenever he reaches that milestone; that's just when the procedure begins, after which the baby goes home.

The procedure includes them showing the parents a video about shaken baby syndrome (lesson learned: don't ever, ever, ever shake a baby. it's not even funny to joke about).  We get re-trained in CPR (all the rules are different these days).  They make sure Peanut will fit in the car seat (and if he won't, they issue a new one - that's right, issue. That means they give us one).

Then the doctor has to check him out one more time and he can go home after the paperwork is done.  Which might take longer than thought, as (in our case) paperwork has to be done by the caseworker as well. And if the baby has had any other issues, those can hold up the release, triggering... more waiting...

The good news is that Peanut's nasal feeding tube is out and he's gaining weight.  The bad news is he had an "episode" last night - nothing to be alarmed at, but they want to make sure that he's out of the woods.

This is all the long, roundabout way of saying that our little guy isn't home yet; maybe tomorrow?

Could This Be the One?

Or... Wait and See

Even before we were married, Tara and I talked about adoption.  Our eventual wish was to adopt children.  After a lot of prayer and conversations, we determined that we would attempt to adopt domestically, rather than overseas (note that this was what we felt like we needed to do; we don't have anything against those who adopt from overseas), so we went through our county training to be foster/adoptive parents.  Our adoption of Andrew was a private adoption (we hadn't necessarily planned that, but it was how God worked it out).  Through all of it, we only once got a call to foster (and it was a placement that wasn't right for us).

August 2009 we got the call to be foster parents for Baby J. We thought this placement would lead to adoption, but the information we got wasn't the full story, and his birth parents did everything they could to get him back.  We got a great opportunity to give him a good start, and though we were sad to have to "give him back" (and we still miss him) we were fine with it.  The system worked like it was supposed to.  Especially for Baby J's parents.

 Then in June 2010, we got another call, this time to foster (and hopefully adopt?) Jesse & Nathan.  The agency already had permanent custody of them and they were looking for a forever family.  After having them for a while, we realized that we couldn't give them the on-going care they needed, all the while, giving our other kids the level of support and concern they need.  The other thing was that their ages were too close to our other kids' ages, and poor Andrew often got the worst of the whole deal. We got to pass their care on to another couple who now is able to give them the attention they need, and we continue to pray for them (parents as well as the kids).

After that placement, we revised the age limits of children we would accept.  We decided we needed a solid break from toddlers, but we would take a baby.  So when another call came in (only a week after we'd cleaned house), asking if we'd take a baby and a 3 year old, we declined.  But when we got a call this week, asking if we'd take a tiny baby boy, we agreed. 

So last night we got to go to the hospital and meet Baby JT.  He was born on December 3, probably about 1 1/2 months premature.  He's a little under 4 pounds, and it was love at first sight.  He is a precious little peanut, as cute as can be.

We understand how the system works; we know that we may or may not get to keep him (keep him? we can't even take him home from the NICU yet! - they're saying probably not until after Christmas), but we're going to get to love him as long as we have him.

Which is the deal we've made with God on our kids in general.  We don't consider any of them "ours" to keep; they're God's, and we just get to "borrow" them from Him for a while - as long as He lets us.

Christmas Parade

Millersport puts on a nice Christmas parade, but wow, Gatlinburg's Christmas parade was something else.  We headed down the mountain around 3:30 and found somewhere to park (we found a really good spot, it turned out, as we were able to buzz straight out after the parade).  Then we walked up and down the "downtown" Gatlinburg area for a while, checked out a fun craft show (indoor), and staked out "our spot."  We found that many people set their chairs out the night before to stake their claim for parade-watching, but we (a) didn't have chairs; and (b) we didn't have chairs.  But we did have a blanket, and Tara found us a great spot by a trash can and a light post.  "Great" because it was a spot by the road and because we had something to lean on and because the odor from the garbage can was drifting the other way.  AND because the people next to us had two little boys, aged 7 and 5, with whom Jonathan and Andrew had a blast before the parade.

The parade itself was a lot of fun.  Not much candy, but I did manage to get hit on the head by a bag of M&Ms (when I was changing batteries on the camera) :-)  The temperature dropped while we were out there, but we dressed warmly - in many, many layers, and we bought hand warmers. 

Pictures will follow...

Just What the Doctor Ordered

After a long several months with four kids and quite a bit of personal stress, our family got to take a vacation.  We found a cabin in the mountains near Gatlinburg, TN, and rented it for a week of family time.  It was wonderful.  The Christmas lights are up and beautiful, and the Great Smoky Mountains are as fantastic as ever. 

I remember going to the Smoky Mountains as a kid - it was a lot of fun.  My parents even gave in to our persistence and allowed us to go (throw our money away at) a roadside attraction (where we met a girl whose southern accent baffled us - we were only familiar with the Kokomo accent - you know, the one where "wash" gains an r and short e sounds identical to short i).  I remember seeing a bear... or perhaps thinking I saw a bear and then being too embarrassed when it wasn't really a bear that I stuck to my guns and held to the story...

I have always loved being in the Smoky Mountains.  It has always captured my imagination.

So it was great allowing our kids to explore and play in the mountains.  Seeing them walk on the trail, playing together, bonding with one another, running, chasing, exploring - was well worth the trip.

Latest Adventure

I didn't post much about our most recent adventure in foster parenting because I didn't think it would be prudent; first of all, the birth family could read about the boys or see their picture and figure out where they were, and secondly, because it was tough going (and I didn't end up blogging much during those four months partially because of that).  It was tough having four boys, age 6 and under, especially with what J&N had suffered through before they came to our house.

I learned a lot about myself, about others, about spiritual warfare, and about the "system" in the process.

About myself... in Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God, he expresses surprise not in the fact that humans can be so horrendously evil, but in the fact that we're often not.  During the last four months, I came to understand how (often foster) parents can do horrible things.  Not that I ever condone doing evil to a child (or anyone else), but I began to understand how someone could.  But there were many times when I was stretched way too thin.  I was glad to have my "out" - running - where I could get away and reorient myself toward God.

I already knew that there are people who understand "different" kids and people who don't, but I didn't know how much that would show up.  There were some people who I frankly didn't know very well who stepped up tremendously to help out with the boys, especially during church.  Church was a difficult time, because for a while the nursery was not staffed during the early service, (and since both boys have attachment issues, we felt that it was important to keep them with us)... so the boys were in worship... not a big deal, as we always keep our other two in that service... except that J&N had never experienced church before.  Or positive discipline.  Or sitting still.  And so they screamed through the first few services.  Some people just got annoyed and complained.

But there were several others who stepped up and helped.  Tremendously.  They were awesome.

I learned more about spiritual warfare than I ever thought possible, and I'm still learning.  These boys were victims of generational curses - something they never chose for themselves.  Their parents, grandparents - who knows how many generations - were filled with the evil they had inherited and they had chosen.  When J&N first came into our house, they were saturated with those curses. They were tortured little boys.  Happily, and thanks to a lot of prayer, when they left our house, though they still have issues, they were no longer the same tortured little boys.

I was reminded of the system, which doesn't necessarily exist to do the best thing; it sometimes exists to do the cheap thing or the expedient thing.  This isn't a slam on the case workers; I've found that the social workers are one of two things: they are either so jaded and cynical that you wonder why they're still in it; or they're idealistic people who want to help... and they're buried alive with too many cases for one person to adequately handle.  Unfortunately it ends up that lies, misinformation, and lack of communication are the order of the day.

I understand that God calls His people to care for orphans and widows, but with my experience (and the experience I've watched others go through), it does take a special calling to be a foster parent.  It's definitely not for everyone.  If God is calling you to do it, then do it with gusto.  But if God is not calling you to it (and be sure to discern the difference; don't just say God isn't if you haven't taken time to listen), then find other ways to care for the orphan and widow in your community.

Better Than Winning My Age Group

I think I've won my age group twice. I really only remember once. It was in a winter 5K cross country race (not the road race I'd been expecting). For winning, I got a really cool blue blown glass Christmas ornament as a prize.  It still has the little paper tag to tell me that it was for first place in my age group - not that I need the reminder. 

The reminder that there were two of us in the age group, and the other guy had possibly never run a 5K before.

Anyway, I almost won my age group at the Sweet Corn Festival 5K.  I would have won it had I run it.  Let me explain: I did run it.  Twice that morning. I went out early and ran the course as fast as I could, and finished in (my PR) 19:27.  Which, as I look at the results, would have gotten me first in my age group.

But I didn't run it that fast with everyone else. Instead, I ran it with my son, Jonathan.  You'll need to go to the second-to-last page to find our finishing time, but believe me when I say that running the race with my 6 year old son, who ran or walked the entire 3.1 miles without stopping, was better than winning my age group.  For an age group win, I would have gotten a medal, which would have found a home in a drawer.  Running with Jonathan gives me a fantastic memory that will last a lifetime.

Running With the Boy

Ever since I can remember, I wanted to run.  My family would drive past the local middle school and would dream about running on the cinder track there - but I never actually asked my parents, "Could we stop so I could run on that track?" It wasn't until I was actually in middle school that I got to run there... and I loved it.

A couple of years ago, my oldest son, Jonathan, decided he wanted to run a 5K with daddy.  So we worked it out this way: I ran the race at my pace and then came back and caught up with Jonathan and Tara (who was also pushing barely-2-year-old Andrew in a stroller).  Jonathan had run at a sprint to start, but he needed some motivation... and having Dad there helped him.  We were the last ones to finish, but if you ask Jonathan, he'll tell you, "I ran a 5K... and I won!"  Maybe he was remembering going up with me for my age group award.

Last year it just didn't work for the family to run the race (with Baby J less than 1 month old), which was disappointing, as the "under 11" age group was wide open.

This year, Jonathan wants to run the race again.  And we've been preparing.  He knows the strategy: don't run too fast, and if you need to walk, just go ahead and walk, but keep going.  I told him I would bring water so he can have a drink whenever he wants one. We've been out on training runs together, and he's excited about the race.  Last week we went on our bikes to see the race course - and although he's only been riding a two-wheeler for a week or two, he was up for the whole thing.  And more.

We'll see how things go on Saturday. 

Spring Break Part 3: Ft. DeSoto County Park

While we were in central Florida with our friend, we visited Ft. DeSoto Park, located on Mullet Island (yes, that's what it's called - I think I saw the guy who it was named after) off St. Petersburg. We decided that we should come back and spend more time there, so after Sanibel, we made Ft. DeSoto our destination.  They reserved a certain number of  "walk-in" campsites, so we took advantage of that to grab a Monday-Thursday night stay.

This was perhaps the most beautiful campground I've ever stayed in.  There were plenty of waterfront campsites, but (in order to not have to move mid-week) we stayed "inland."  So our water view was across the camp road.The breeze blew in off the water, keeping the campsite pleasantly cool even though the sun really warmed things up during the day.  Perfect weather for vacation!

We were on "relax" mode - we didn't make plans to go a lot of places or do a lot of things; but then again, we didn't need to, as there was plenty to do there in the park. 

We spent our time at the beach, checking out the fishing pier (and getting cast-net fishing lessons from a 12 year old), going to the old fort, riding our bikes, and of course, going to the beach!  We went to the beach every day, and a beautiful beach it was!  Uncrowded, nice sand, lots of space for the boys to play (and dig), and a beautiful place to watch the sun set!

 

On the last night we were staying there, I woke up very early in the morning - Andrew was coughing a little - just enough to keep me awake - so I decided to go out for a run.  As I was heading out of the park, I noticed a crowd gathering by the camp office.  I thought maybe they were meeting for an excursion or something, but when I returned, I realized that they were "walk ins" waiting to register for campsites for the weekend.  There were probably 50 of them there... before 5 am!  That's dedication!

That morning I ended up going for a 10 mile run/walk along the beach trails (note: one banana isn't enough fuel for that long of a run).  The beach road was closed from dusk to dawn, and I got there pre-dawn.  I didn't think anything of it until I got to the a bridge leading toward the beach... where there were large barricades proclaiming the beach "closed."  I ran past the barricades (and hid behind when a park truck came by - the park worker was taking down the closed signs).

There's something about an early-morning run anyway - I love watching the sun rise - but on the beach without another person in sight?... fantastic.  This was one of the best vacations I've ever taken.  Certainly the most relaxing and recharging!

Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

Our little boy is now 6 years old! He had a fantastic birthday - the grandparents came up from Kentucky to celebrate with him.

Instead of having a traditional birthday cake, which Jonathan wouldn't eat, he had strawberry/blueberry creme puffs. They were delicious!

As you might be able to tell, he loved them immensely!

Instead of getting him more toys for his birthday (his grandparents came through in the toy department with some cool Star Wars toys), we took him (and his brother, of course) to Kalahari indoor water park. This was his choice, and he had so much fun.  He was, however, not pleased with the rule that he had to try a water slide.  But he told me Thursday morning that he thought he could be brave enough to try the orange one.  We went there first with my promise that once he tried it, I wouldn't bother him about it at all during the day.

He loved it!

And went on it over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.  And tried the blue one, too, and loved it as well!  So he and Andrew kept riding and riding and riding!  They had a blast!

It was an extremely fun trip with the family - and Kalahari is a great place to visit, especially when they're doing during-the-week specials (so we get the room and two days of the water park for less than we would have paid for one day's tickets to the water park) and when the place is practically empty (which is why they're running the great deals during the week while kids are in school)!

And a good time was had by all!

Spring Break, Part 2: Sanibel Island

When I think of a vacation to Florida, my first thought is... the beach. The one pictured to the left is our "night beach" where we went every evening to enjoy the shelling and the creatures in the tide pools.  Jonathan was very good about "saving" sea stars. There were some other creatures that we didn't quite know what they were, but we figured out that if you touched them, they would squirt at you.  This became Jonathan's favorite activity!  He and Andrew would search for them and try to get them to squirt water at them.

Camping at Sanibel was interesting; the one campground on the island only had a little corner dedicated to tent camping, and it was primitive. But it was also pretty well empty.  We were warned that the road noise would be bad, but it turned out that it just reminded us of home.  And just like home, the beach was an easy bike ride from the house/tent.  Except that here, the beach was, well, slightly different.  The Gulf of Mexico or Buckeye Lake.  Take your pick.  But I bet you won't see dolphins swimming in Buckeye Lake (like we did almost every day in the gulf).

Sanibel was a great place for us.  The atmosphere was extremely easy-going and laid-back.  The only time we even looked at a watch was on Sunday, when we wanted to make it to church on time.  We did some different activities, usually something in the morning, the beach in the afternoon, and the "night beach" in the evening. The evenings were the only time when we could go for walks on the beach; when we went to the beach during the day, the boys were all about playing in the sand (usually in a big hole - especially ones that other kids had previously dug).We took a bike ride through the "Ding" Darling Nature Preserve one day, and that was really nice.  Sanibel is also extremely bike-friendly.  There are bike paths everywhere (and bikes everywhere).  We were glad we brought ours (and the tagalongs for the boys).

It did rain one day, but that wasn't so bad, because it was Sunday; we spent all morning in church in Ft. Myers, went out to eat, and then went to a children's museum all afternoon.  When we returned, much of the campground was flooded, but our tent was almost completely dry (except for the corner of my blanket and Tara's sleeping bag - no problem: I threw them in the dryer and they were as good as new). 

We loved Sanibel, but we had to leave there on Monday, headed for Fort De Soto County Park (near St. Pete).  I'll cover this in my next vacation post.

What I did on my Spring Vacation

Before this April, I had never taken a vacation longer than 10 days.  We had not yet taken the boys on a camping vacation (though we have camped out several times with them).  The boys had not yet been to Florida.  All of that changed in April, as we embarked on a 3 week vacation.

Our destination: Florida. We got there via Kentucky (they've been to Kentucky before; that's where Grandma and Grandpa live - albeit on the other side of the state), Tennessee (a new state for them), Georgia (where we camped our first night), and finally, Florida!

We visited O'Leno State Park, where we hiked and saw our first (and second) alligators. It rained in the night, but it was dry in our tent, and by the time we got back from our hike, everything was dry enough to pack up and head on south.

We went to central Florida, where we met up with our friend, Richard Zinck. He's one of our snowbirds - winters in Florida, summers in Ohio (we decided that the snowbirds are the smart ones). We were planning on camping near his house so we could visit him, but he arranged a house for us to stay in!  We had a lot of fun in central Florida - we played a lot of mini-golf and shuffleboard, we visited the Tampa Zoo, we went to a really cool park in Lakeland, and we went to church with Richard.

We got to see all kinds of wildlife there - I saw a bobcat (which had unfortunately lost its battle with a vehicle), we saw an armadillo (also roadkill), there was an alligator in the pond in Richard's community, and then there was the little snake (pictured to the right).  Don't worry; it had already lost its battle with humans, too.

At the zoo, Andrew was having a good time until he got licked and "bonked" by a giraffe. As far as zoos go, Columbus Zoo is better!  At the Tampa zoo, we felt completely inundated by their marketing; everywhere you looked, something was for sale.  They even had a "feed the giraffe" booth ($2 for a cracker).  We stood in line but did not buy a cracker.  And the giraffe paid attention to us anyway. Too much attention, if you were to ask Andrew.

From Lakeland, we headed south to Sanibel Island.  This was a good choice of destinations for us.  We thought about going to the Keys, but it was going to cost a lot more and we would have had to drive a lot longer, especially to go out to Key West, and, well, honestly we didn't want to be in the van by this time!

In my next post, I'll take you to Sanibel.

Proud Moment

This evening Jonathan was playing with his castle and was bantering about enemies and friends, and his knights were fighting one another, and then he said, "But you're supposed to love your enemies. The Bible says to."

I asked him who said we're supposed to love our enemies (I was hoping the answer would be Jesus), and he said, "You say that, Daddy.  You say it in church."

When I told him I was proud of him for listening, he told me that he "just can't help but listen."

When you don't think your kids are paying attention, they just might be.  And if you're an adult who can't pay attention or remember anything that's said in a sermon, shame on you.

I am so proud of Jonathan and humbled at the same time.

Christmas Morning in the Vinson House

If a picture is worth a thousand words, you've just been given a six thousand word essay.

Christmas Eve Services

This was the scene at our Christmas Eve services last night.  Our kids were the "acolytes" who lit the candles before the (second) service at 7:30 They were so proud of themselves.  Andrew really wanted to pass the offering plates, too, as you can probably see from the photo.

They were very serious in their trip down the aisle with the light of Christ.

Right up onto the stage they marched, ready to light the candles.

They only needed a little help from dad.

Here is Andrew, hoping that he will get to collect the offering.  He had already been practicing lighting the candles over and over again and was super excited to get to do it!

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!  We hope the joy of Christ's birth is renewed in you this holiday season and throughout the new year!

Jonathan Lost a Tooth!