Finally our house is under contract and we are due to close on August 14th.  The sad reality is that I have a ton of packing to do.  It is definitely note worthy that half of our belongings are already packed and waiting in the storage unit for moving day but it's the BIG stuff that is left behind.  It's hard to decide just how much to pack up in the next three weeks and which items can be loaded "as is" onto the moving truck.  In the mean time Chris and I are making endless phone calls to insurance companies trying to get the best quote and haggling it out with our lender over details of the closing settlement.  At the same time we are waiting, as patiently as we can, to hear back about the list of items we asked the sellers to take care of before we take possession.  Our primary concern at this point is the roof of the Mayfair house which has suffered some hail damage and we are hoping will be replaced.  We have to just wait and see if their insurance provider will foot the bill.  As I wait I am snipping ideas from my favorite decorating magazine, DOMINO, and dreaming of dressing the ghostly white walls of my new house in COLOR!!! 

 

My summer classes at St. John's School of Nursing are completed and I have blissfully been enjoying not reading my textbooks.  Although the clinicals were not "easy" I definitely found them a lot more manageable than the hours I spent working towards my PN license.  My feet on the other hand have suffered horribly from plantar fasciitis on account of my worn out shoes and the fact that there wasn't a chair for a tired nursing student to sit upon. I am now nursing my own poor soles with foot soaks and stretching/strengthening exercises.  This has been quite the summer with both Chris and I missing work due to injury.  Hopefully I'll be back on my feet (literally) next week.  Chris' thumb has thankfully healed quite nicely and he has been back to work since the last week of June. 

 

With the weather being so hot the kids have been enjoying trips to the Jordan Valley Park play fountain and the local library (ah air conditioning!)  Of course they have also spent plenty of time climbing the trees in our front yard and learning to do flips on the trampoline.  Grandma Carol spoiled them rotten with a field trip to the Laura Ingalls-Wilder house in Mansfield, Mo.  This has become a new obsession for them as Grandma has been reading the "Little House" books to them when they stay at her house.  They love the attention and the stories too!  All three were especially pleased to have a little "Christmas in July" when we took them to Toys 'R' Us to spend their Birthday/Christmas money from 2005.  I couldn't help reminiscing about the time that Grandma and Grandpa Askew came to visit us in Taiwan and we had our own Christmas in July complete with a construction paper tree.  I think I may have just started a new tradition with our kids (although saving the money to begin with took lots of coercion!)

 

 

The open house we had was somewhat successful even inspite of the rain.  We had a woman come by 3 times to look at the house.  First by herself and then with some friends and her children to see if they would give it the stamp of approval.  We were really set for an offer.  We were surprised but undaunted when she gave an offer that was $11,000 less than the asking price and without any earnest money.  Of course we hadn't had any other offers so we were generous and went ahead and countered.  I have to say that this woman was really confused about the process.  She decided to "represent" herself since she works for a law office but the contract she wrote up was no where near legal.  Our realtor really had a time "fixing" all her goofs but in the end we had a good offer for her.  We lowered the price by several thousand and clarified some terms such as the home warranty that has already been purchased, we also asked for a very small 0.5% earnest money.  She decided that she wanted the time extended for her to respond since her parents were coming to view the house so we (generously) let her have more time... then too our surprise she just walked away.  I guess there is a lesson to be learned here.  We will never again look at an offer without earnest money and we will stick to the rules of the game... when a time frame is set you stay with it!  In the mean time our hopeful house on Mayfair is sitting empty and unsold.  We do not know what God has planned for us but we are trying to be patient to see Him work out his plan. 

I am always very sentimental this time of year. Perhaps it is the observance of Memorial Day but for whatever reason I find myself looking back at the people that God has placed in my life and thanking Him for them.

 

Gloria Bishop:
I will always treasure the way you have stood firm in your beliefs. You have taught me, admonished me, even rebuked me without apology for those things that God burdened you to share. Yet in my weakest moments you did not back away but stood close to hold me (even from as far away as Ohio) and to calm my grieving spirit with your words of encouragement.

 

Danielle Davitt:
I admire how grounded you are. You were always careful to take care of yourself and you have developed into a beautiful mother and (soon-to-be) wife. You accepted me for who I am and welcomed me with open arms at a very vulnerable time in my life. For this you will always have my love!

 

April Wines:
I want you to know how much I value your intellect. You have an uncanny wit about you that has always been refreshing to me. I love the unique way you can relate to my quirky Asian artisan side. You never miss a beat... when I vent you listen, you are non-judgemental and loving in your willingness to offer your ear to soothe my rantings.

 

Donna Cary:
You have been there through the fire with me. You know what it is to choke back your pride and humbly endure for the sake of the prize. You have given me courage to make the hard choices for my career and when all else failed you laughed (and cried) with me about how awful the whole journey has been!

 

Kate Blandford:

You have been there for me time after time!  You know me better than anyone... the best and the worst of my very emotional life!  I am so thankful for your sweet spirit and your example to me as a Godly mother and wife.

 

Katie Barth:
I am amazed by you. You have a perfect blend of compassion, confidence, and unwavering integrity. This is what makes you the wonderful nurse that you are! I cannot help but admire you as a mentor and love you as a friend. I am ever grateful to God for the common ground that we have found.

 

I have been blessed!

The good news: Well, we heard back from the realtor today!  Surprisingly we were able to negotiate a contract for the house quite easily.  Our only concern now is to get our house sold!  We are thrilled, of course, and are looking forward to moving!  We continue to trust God to provide the right buyer for our house on Sunrise and patiently wait for His supplying! 

 

The bad news:  Chris called his nurse (me of course) today to get some advice about his left thumb which he had shut in the fire engine door during a training drill.  I sent him to the urgent care unit and X-ray confirmed that he has a lengthwise fracture of the distal bone in his thumb.  He was sent home from work and will be out on workman's comp. until the Doctor clears him.  We do not know how long that could be.  Once again, all we can do is trust God to provide for us. 

 

I've added a picture of the house on Mayfair.. as you can imagine Charles is excited to try his hand at climbing that tree in the front yard!

I decided this year that the children need a deeper understanding of what American Veterans mean to us as individual citizens.  So I took the opportunity this Memorial Day to expose them to some traditions and explain the meaning of them to help foster a deeper devotion to our country and her Veterans.  We chose some lovely flowers for Aunt Susan's grave and after arranging them we walked across the grounds to where the Honor Guard stood waiting.  I pointed out the various flags to my kids, naming our own loved ones who have represented those colors.  We stayed for the short ceremony of raising the flag and placing the wreath.  We then drove across town to see the Veterans Cemetery where Great Grandpa Askew is buried.  I was pleased by the impact on my children of so many white headstones each graced with our flag.  I reminded them of the verse John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  I heard a collective pause as each child began to understand a little more what our freedom has cost and why we reciprocate by honoring our veterans for their sacrifice.  

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't written an update in a while so here's a quickie...

 

The semester ended well for me.  I ended up with one A and one C from my classes at SBU.  I was so exhausted with final projects and finals that I was just glad to have one more semester over with.  I had my orientation for the LPN bridge class this summer (July 5th-17th) it is going to be pretty intensive but I think I will enjoy it if I can just get all the busy work done.  They are not cutting me much slack as far as training goes... I have to redo several training modules that I have already done for my job at St. John's but I guess the payoff is that they are easy since I use those skills on a daily basis.  I've managed to pick up a few extra hours here and there which is helping since I have to pay my school bill in 2 months instead of 4. 

 

The kids are enjoying being out of school... I think.  The boredom has not totally taken over yet but we are pushing it!  I've tried to keep them busy outside since the weather has been beautiful and not sweltering hot yet!  We are looking into a boyscout/family camping trip as well as a "day-at-camp" with girlscouts for Chas and Abby respectively.  Church camp is still a possibility if we can come up with the finances.  This year we will be sending both older kids (about $300).  I've tried to keep Spencer happy with a visit to Morgan's house... it's always nice to have a play date! 

 

Chris has been doing odd and end spruce ups around the house still.  The house just keeps looking better and better.  Praise God we finally completed the roof replacement with a lot of help from Paul, Kate, Justin, Bill, and Derek! (no thanks to me... I got up there once and panicked... it took all my courage and my firefighter's strong arms to get me down from there)   We were especially pleased to tell the realtor that Chris had repaired the siding with some trim and new paint. (Thanks for the idea Strode!)  We had a couple come by and look at the house and they are (supposedly) very interested.  Our realtor is going to bug their realtor to see if they intend to make an offer.  Their number one concern was the siding repairs so it was perfect timing to have her tell them that they had just been completed.  We are still dabbling with our own house search but we haven't really got too serious on anything since our house has not sold yet. 

 

It was a real blessing to be able to attend the BBFI fellowship week and accept an award on my parents behalf for their life of service as missionaries.  It was nice to hear the bio read aloud about the work they have dedicated themselves to for so many years.  We are certainly having withdraws with them being back in Taiwan for a short visit.  We'll be looking forward to having them back on May 31st.  Keep them in your prayers for safety and stamina. 

 

That's it for now... enjoy the new pics! 

When my sisters and I were younger we used to listen to Karen Carpenter a lot on rainy days.  I almost feel like it was a springtime tradition because we would get weeks of typhoon weather when we would be stuck indoors playing board games and mopping up water that leaked in.  One of our favorite songs was "Mr. Postman" We would break into choreographed routines using whatever we had on hand as our micorphone singing at the top of our lungs.  I think it's fitting to sing about the postman in rainy weather.  It reminds me of the creed they take, "neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow..."  Well, unfortunately when it comes to roofing you can't be as dependable as the postman.  So today we are working on indoor projects as thunderstorms taunt us.  The new roof will have to wait until Wednesday (the forcast is for SUN!)  In the meantime we have worked on replacing the hall carpet, painted the hallway, replaced/repaired light fixtures in the bathroom and dining room, and I've started packing away photos and knick-knacks throughout the house.  My allergies are going nuts from all the dust we've stirred up but at least I can be thankful that the rain has freshened the outdoor air.  Monday is our May 1st deadline but we will obviously have to push that back a few days until the roof is on.  We are pleased with the work we've done so far... it's kind of sad to think we will be leaving all our hard work behind but we are definitely ready for some more space! 

This past weekend we spent two days in Kansas City area celebrating the wedding of Chris' brother Joshua and his new bride, Michelle.  It was a beautiful event and the happy couple are now honeymooning at Big Cedar Lodge, Branson.  We managed to get home (at 1am) and catch a few hours sleep before Chris had to go to work again. 

 

Now that we are back home the packing has reached full swing.  Chris and I just sorted through all of the kids toys and for the most part have limited them to just one boxful each.  We are hauling most of them off tomorrow along with the old carpet... good riddence.  We had hoped to be a lot further along with our packing but we got sidetracked with work and school... go figure! 

 

The kids are taking all the upheaval well and even joined in the sorting earlier today.  They "found" a bunch of their "favorite" toys when we started moving the beds around to paint the walls.  Both rooms are now painted and after tomorrow (cross your fingers) will be "staged" for showing the house.  Next is our bedroom which needs decluttered and painted (of course) and a with a little rearranging we should have it looking spacious as well! 

 

We are still aiming for our deadline of May first to have the house on the market.  Not sure what we will be listing it at but everything is just falling into place so we are trusting God will help us decide that when the time comes!  Saturday, if it's not raining, we will be having the roof shingles replaced.  While Chris is doing that I plan to haul a truck load of items over to Goodwill to donate.  We contemplated the garage sale idea but decided it was too time consuming and we will be better off just getting a tax receipt. 

 

Keep praying that all will go smoothly for our move this summer and most of all that our "dream home" will be available at the right price when we are able to make an offer. 

The last few weekends we have been trying, in vain, to take the kids out to the nature center for a short hike and spring picture taking.  It seems the weather never wants to play nicely.  Either a cold front comes through and our week of 80's turns to 40's for the weekend or gray weekend skies pour down on us after a perfectly cloudless week.  Well, this Saturday dawned with wind blowing and sporatic showers teasing us as we hoped and planned for a late afternoon venture.  Luckily the sun came out just as we were heading out and we were able to snap some shots of the kids with their cousins... I've posted some here so I hope you enjoy them! 

 

Plans for moving seem to be coming along just fine.  Chris has ripped the carpet out of the play-room and plans to start laying the new on his day off.  Our realtor, Kathy, has been awesome!  She came by and helped us make a "to do" list for getting the house ready.  She even offered to bring over some tubs to help the kids pack up their toys.  She seems impressed with the work Chris has done on the house in just a short amount of time. I have been doing my part by using my "spare time" to work in the flower beds.  The kids and I planted some marigolds in back bed along with a cypress vine to climb a hummingbird feeder trellis.  I've been trying to keep the weeds pulled from the front beds (after all the help I had to get them looking nice I need to keep them that way)  I'm also continuing to sort through closets and cupboards to get rid of as much clutter as possible.  With less than a month left in the school year we are hoping for a quick sale and a smooth move to a new house (cross your fingers!) 

It's a strange feeling to walk into work and know that you dad is one of the patients. I guess the pay off is that I know and trust the people who are caring for him so that gives me a huge sense of calm that I wouldn't get if he were somewhere else.

Luckily, they were able to discharge my dad yesterday afternoon in time for him to get his radiation and chemotherapy. We were so grateful because the radiation is very beneficial in treating his pain. On Sunday our family will be going to church with my parents to celebrate Easter. Easter has always been my favorite holiday but it has even more signifigance now because of the hope that I have to see my sister again. It is also very soothing to know that Papa's pain will end as well and he will be rejoicing with Susan and his parents as they wait for us to come as well into God's kingdom. I am so blessed!

Speaking of springtime... our house is really shaping up now. Chris painted the "playroom" today. It used to be purple but now it is a beautiful creamy eggshell. Next is to replace the carpet and stage that room for showing. We've already packed up about half of the kids toys and the rest will be packed tomorrow... with a few exceptions for keeping them entertained until we move. Chris is going to rent some storage and start moving "stuff" out of the house so that it is as clutter-free as possible. One by one we will get the rooms ready and in no time we will have the house on the market. Our goal is for the 1st of May.

The insurance adjuster came out to see our roof today and decided to give us money to paint our trim, replace screens, fix the coils in our AC, and replace the roof. Praise God! It is just more answers to prayer and confirmation that we are making the right decision about moving. After four years of knowing we needed to find a bigger place we are finally seeing that dream come alive!

I guess there is no better time to do all of this than in the Spring when the temperature and the mood is just perfect for CLEANING!

Tonight we got to enjoy watching Chas in his spring concert at school.  The theme this year was all about building good character traits! He sang songs about being responsible, keeping promises, and the value of knowing who you are comes from inside and not from external influences.  He did a great job! 

 

After we got home and the kids were in bed we got a call from Mom saying that Papa was feeling weird like he had several months ago when he developed a dysrythmia called atrial flutter.  His blood pressure was low-normal but his pulse was racing between 120's and 150's.  So Mom took him to St. John's ER to be checked out.  As it turns out he was in a. flutter and they immediately gave him a dose of IV cardizem to control the rate.  He will most likely be admitted for observation, in fact he may end up on the floor I work on.  Needless to say we are all nervous for him but we are doing our best to give it to God as His hands will bring healing that none others can.  I would appreciate your prayers!

It is becoming a bit of a tradition now to drop in on Grandma and Grandpa Feistel Sunday after church for a bowl of ice cream and big hugs.  The idea of Sunday night snacking has been in our family for quite sometime.  Mom tells about cookies and milk and maybe peaches at her house growing up and when I was a child we almost always got a steaming bowl of chinese noodles.  For my kids it is well known that Grandpa always has ice cream in his freezer so we take a quick detour off the highway as we pass through town and enjoy a treat! 

 

I spoke with the kids today about Grandpa's cancer and how the news we got from the bone scan was not good as we had hoped.  I struggle with how much to tell them and whether I should try to shelter them from the pain that we are all feeling as Papa battles cancer.  In the end I feel like honesty is always the best idea.  I have always been matter-of-fact with my kids so I went ahead and told them that the cancer is worse along with his pain.  I reminded them to slow down (no running in the house) and to be careful not to bump into Grandpa.  Charles was a bit worried and asked if it was still ok to hug him.  I reassured them that Grandpa not only welcomes hugs but NEEDS hugs!  I think they are taking it all very well considering.  This has not been easy on any of us.  Through this experience both Charles and Abigail seem to be growing in their relationship with God.  They were quick to remind me that we need to continue to pray not only that God will "make Grandpa's cancer go away" but also that "Grandpa won't hurt so much".  It is humbling to see their faith when my own is shaken to the core.  God knew when he gave me these children just how much of a blessing they would be for me. 

We took Spencer to the doctor today for a recheck. He's definitely feeling better and recovering from his ear infection.  We were not surprised that the doctor noted that he still has a heart murmur although she still states that he will most likely "grow out of it"  I don't like not knowing why he has a murmur and I really don't like just waiting for him to grow but that is all we can do.  The pediatric cardiologist that looked at his echo (taken a year ago February) did not feel there was anything to be concerned about.  So we will just trust God to heal his heart and hopefully the murmur will disappear as he matures.  We were especially relieved to hear that the recent outbursts and misconduct we have seen from Spencer are all normal signs of a child dealing with stress.  We can all agree that our family has been through a lot in the last two years and Spencer is no exception.  Dr. Bumberry suggested that we do some family and/or individual therapy to help him learn how to cope with all the craziness.  We certainly can't remove all the stressors from our life but we can at least try to keep his world as stable and secure as possible and equip him with ways to express his fears and frustrations in a healthy manner.  We will definitely be praying for him (as well as the rest of our little family) as we try to learn how to cope together.  Pray for us too that we can be aware of what he needs and provide security for him even when our own lives feel chaotic!

Well, spring break is over.  School starts back up for both the kids and I tomorrow.  We all really enjoyed having some time off and just being able to relax together.  The only downfall of the week was that Spencer started running a fever on Friday and was diagnosed with an ear infection on Saturday.  I have TONS of empathy for him as I struggled with ear infections my whole childhood.  We've got him on antibiotics now along with pain relieving eardrops.  He was mostly back to his old self this afternoon... playing, laughing, and as busy as ever! 

 

Friday the kids spent the entire day with Grandma and Grandpa Feistel while Daddy was at work and Mommy was sleeping (after working overnight at the hospital).  From what I hear the kids had a  blast riding bikes and just hanging out with the "gramps".  Thank heaven for Mom and Papa being willing to "di hye dz" (that's chinese for babysit). 

 

Chris had a good day at work... apparantly they have been doing some speed training and his crew really impressed the Deputy Chief with their efficency.  It's always nice to hear him talk about that... you should see the look on his face when he tells of how they managed to get a ladder off the truck and set up in 43 seconds.  He's really doing a great job as Captain and enjoying his job even more than ever! 

 

When Chris and I held our babies just after birth we wondered what they would be like... would they inherit our best qualities... or our worst?  In the end, good or bad, our children are in so many ways just like us! 

 

Today I caught myself sounding just like my mother and the funny thing was she caught me too!  I was telling of how I have been working with Spencer to control his temper.  He's so sweet (most of the time) but when he gets mad it can get ugly.  One point (in his defense) is that he always says he's sorry.  Still I am trying to teach him to make better choices first so he won't have to say he's sorry later.  Mom pointed out with a wink that she has given me the exact same "talk" so many times through the years.  Tongue-in-cheek I admitted, yes, he is MY child through and through.  

 

Later I was reciting the rhyme "Mary Mary quite contrary..." to my daughter as I teased her about always doing things differently than her brothers.  It's just her way of being independent... and it should come as no surprise that she is, in this way, just like her mother!  If they're having mustard she'll have just mayo please.  If they choose a red balloon she'll take the green one please.  Even this morning she wanted to plant the packet of flower seeds that looked different from all the rest. 

 

The honest truth is, Mary's garden grows just the way she planted it.  Just one more reason to humbly remember that little ears are listening and little mouths are saying everything they hear from me!

 

 

Hurray!  We finally had one fabulous day for the kids to run around outside and enjoy themselves!  I took them all over to Katie's so we could enjoy some "girl time" while the kids entertained each other.  It was awesome!  We did a little scrapbooking, a lot of talking, and took turns looking after the other's kids (hey, sometimes it's nice to let someone else tell them to behave!)  I also got lots of cuddles from 7-month-old Haidyn. (ah, I needed a fix)  Of course the kids managed to get filthy picking up pine cones and having a mini-burial for a bird... we were all very sad and then we washed our hands.  Chris met up with us around 3pm to take Chas for a haircut.  Later we all headed over to my house for a big pot of Chilli and milkshakes... yes, they go well together.  Abby and Morgan donned every piece of dress-up clothes in the house while Chas and Spencer chased them with cross-bows and light sabers.  It was a perfect day!

 

 

I have decided to start blogging a bit on this space just as a way to keep my friends and family informed of the kids adventures and antics.  My personal blog can then remain more personal... about me and my rollercoaster emotions! 

 

I hope you enjoy the pictures and I'll try to keep on top of this as the kids fill my life with wonderful stories to share! 

 

This week is spring break so we have been trying to make it as enjoyable as possible even with the steady rain and fog.  Yesterday we embarked on a short excursion to Branson to see the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum.  We had a blast!  We also stopped briefly in a scrapbooking store to purchase a few papers and an album to start a family scrapbook.  I have never tried this before so it will be a fun learning project for me!  Chris is actually excited to work with me on it so I'm thinking it is going to be a lot of fun!  I've made a few rules for myself though. 

 

1. I'm starting NOW so that means I will not try to scrapbook the last 10 years of our lives and end up forever playing "catch up"

2. When fun turns to frustration I will put it away... the point is afterall to make and preserve GOOD memories!

3. I will not pay the scrapbook before I pay the bills!

4. Perfection is NOT fun... FUN is fun!