There were three in the bed and the little one said...

24 Hours ago our family had another great adventure on Lindy Lane. Our town has been declared to be in a "State of Emergency". Where we live this is a BIG DEAL. We are blessed here in upstate NY to normally have pretty stable, temperate, normal weather patterns. Rarely does Mother Nature wreak havoc as the past two days!

It all began on Thursday night when the rain began. Then it turned into ice. LOTS of ice. The ice has covered all our trees in over 1/2 inch of thick, heavy ice. The trees have just drained their sap for the winter months and are very vulnerable to the elements. The result has been tree branches bending and breaking off. And in the worst case, whole trees have toppled under the oppressive weight of the ice. It is SO sad to see so many beautiful trees in our yard struggling to stay upright. Normally they are so stately and strong.

I couldn't help but go out very early and take pictures yesterday morning. All night we laid awake hearing branches fall in our yard at least every 10-15 minutes. I'm NOT exaggerating. I have to admit though, my imagination got the best of me. When I woke up I looked outside with much trepidation. I truly believed that we would have no trees standing at all on our very wooded lot. The good news is, we have kept most of our trees. The bad news is our yard is a total mess with fallen branches (big ones!) that have been cruelly ripped from the trunk, leaving gaping wounds and scars. The poor birds are so confused that they are flittering here and there, looking for a safe, familiar place to roost. Even our scrappy, tireless squirrels (who can be real pests) look as though they need a rest from the chaos. I wish I could invite them all onto our big enclosed back porch for a safe haven. That'd be interesting wouldn't it? LOL!

Friday, the kids did not have school. Even Daddybug came home from work at 8:00am due to the power outages everywhere. So it was a fun day, but not your typical day at all. Just before lunchtime we lost our power. We knew we were on "borrowed time" as most everyone all around us had lost theirs. So, lunch was prepared in the kitchen on the Coleman stove, camping-style. Thankfully we did have water.

Later on it was time to start the fire and try to keep warm until our power came back. For entertainment, DB brought in one of our power inverters from the RV so that we could watch "White Christmas" by candlelight. This helped to pass time and provide a distraction from the ruin outside and the uncertainty of when our power would come back on.

By 9:00 pm we were all in bed and quite tired from a busy day living like pioneers. All was quiet until about 3:00 am. The fire had gone out and our noses were cold from sticking out from under the covers. Not too long after, Little Ladybug stirred and cried that she needed "more covers". Being that was not an option, we brought her into bed with us. This child is the NOISIEST sleeper on the planet. She snores, grunts, sniffs and twitches. Thankfully these are things we normally don't hear on the monitor! I must say though, she is best person to wake up next too. She so cutely takes your face in her little hands and says,"I wake you up Mama!" Then plants a little kiss right on your lips. Now how can you not be charmed by that?!

LL and I and rolled out of bed at about 8 am, to a chilly 58 degree bedroom. The living room and kitchen, however, were a toasty 65 degrees as Daddybug had been up since 5:00am keeping the fireplace going. Thank You Daddybug!!

Today, Saturday, has been more of the same. The good news is:

1. We now own a generator. It was HARD to find, but we got it!
2. We have a solid plan should this continue (meals, heat, lights, etc.)
3. We are getting rather used to the "pioneer life-style"
4. Life by firelight and candlelight is SO fun and cozy

The bad news is:

Once we went to all these pains...

THE POWER CAME BACK ON!!!!!!!

OK so it's not REALLY bad news, but isn't that the way things go? Had we NOT rushed around we likely would STILL not have power. Sigh...such is life in the great Northeast.

Memorable Moments from the Ice Storm of 2008

1. How still and quiet our little village is when the power is out
2. How much fun a family can have when the power is out
3. How much you appreciate warm water and a lightbulb when the power is out
4. How nice it is to spend 12 hours under the spell of candlelight and firelight when the power is out
5. How neighborly people become when the power is out
6. How crazy the grocery store is when the power is out
7. How scarce relatively common items become when the power is out
8. How marvelous is God's creation when covered in an icy blanket

Enjoy the shots of our big adventure. I don't know if it's over yet as the ice is still looming large, some of the roads are still impassible, many people are still without power, and we are due to get strong winds tonight. Not good news.

Hey, we may still get to use that (not so inexpensive) generator after all. Guess we can invite the neighbors over for kettlecorn tonight!

My Christmas Joys...

After decorating the tree the kids were goofing around and it prompted me to snap this cute shot.



I should add that this was the night of THE big ice storm. Little did we know the adventure that lay ahead...

The Wizards Do It Again...!!!

Today was the third year that the Wizards participated in the FLL Robotics Competition. They have been working diligently since September designing, redesigning, programming, tweaking and practicing making their robot do all it is programmed to do. They named the robot "The Praying Mantis". The competition involved 23 other teams this year. It is held at a prominent engineering college. The boys are very fortunate to have these bright, ambitious college students to mentor, train and coach them throughout the day. I should add that their regular coaches, Daddybug, Mr. N and Uncle Fix-It, are to be given equal credit for seeing them through these past three months of sponsoring, mentoring and preparation too!

The day was already a success as their robot performed just as they expected and all had a great time and learned a lot. But the highpoint of the day came as they took Third Place for the Robot Design. Yup, that's a real honor and we are very proud of the whole team. In addition to the win, they also had the opportunity to rub elbows with the founder of the First Lego League, the Regional Director of Intel and Congressman Paul Tonko who presented the boys their trophy. I also should add that they will again be written up in our local paper. Must be those cool hats and their team spirit...Go Wizards!!!

Monday Schmunday...

It's hard to believe that our mini-vacation is already over! We've all been off since Wednesday and here it is Monday already, humpf!

Our Thanksgiving was very nice as always but there certainly was a void at our first family holiday without Papa here. Many times during the day I swear I could almost hear his voice. We all miss him so much. Life on the Lane just isn't the same nor will it be ever again.

After our feast at Uncle Fix-it and Aunty Ess's house we returned home to become basic couch potatoes for two days. This is SO uncommon for us. But I have to say it was very enjoyable.

On Saturday night we did something fun with our friends from Vischer Ferry Station. We went to see a holiday train arrive at the Delanson Depot. It picks up food for local food banks and on board are performers who entertain along the train route. This is the 10th anniversary of this special train; we've only seen it two times. But it certainly is memorable. Both young and old really get excited when those lights begin to flash and the train can be heard just around the bend. It is a grand, impressive sight to behold.

I have made a slide show of the performers because the Santa Claus that rides this train is NOT your typical Santa--no siree!! This Santa can rap, yup, you heard me right, he RAPS! It was so great! The train doors open, the bass begins to thump, the theatrical smoke billows, and out of the darkness comes Santa like you've never heard him before. I only wish I had brought my video camera. Words will never do justice to the performance, LOL! It was great!

After Santa left the stage the band began to play and they were terrific too. The woman who plays the electric violin/fiddle was awesome. She had everyone dancing the street. LL had her first close encounter with Santa that night too (and I missed getting it on film!!) Thank you for trying Paul, darn those dead batteries! Santa hand-delivered candy canes to the children in the crowd. Apparently she did fine and was quite amused by this stranger in red. All in all it was a nice night out. Not too cold, yummy hot cocoa, Christmas cookies, good friends, good music and a beautiful holiday train delivering good cheer. I'd say that's a darn good way to kick off the holidays wouldn't you?

We did it, finally, after much hesitation...

Yup, this weekend was it. I've hesitated, fretted and hesitated some more. LL was given the cutest little ladybug earrings months ago and has been YEARNING to wear them. Of course, what she didn't realize, is what it takes to get them done. I, of course, did and finally got the courage to have her ears pierced today. So, in short, she did GREAT! Not a peep, just a look as if to say, "Hey, um, no one explained the hurting part of this!" But once she looked in the mirror she was very pleased, and that was it. No fuss, no muss! Praise the Lord for all blessings, great and small! Also this weekend we had a special dinner out with Ke-ke and her friend Constable C. They took us to a beautiful Chinese restaurant called the Plum Blossom. I just cannot say how amazing the decor is. I truly felt like I was in China. In fact, I'm not sure we even witnessed a restaurant as lovely in China! All in all we had a great time, thank you Ke-ke and Constable C!

Looking Lovely in Red


The BIG Event!!!

Four quiet little words...

Today as LL settled down for her nap she was particularly snugly. Most days she goes from total busyness to complete sleep in about 5 minutes flat. Such is my busy toddler. But today she was particularly snugly so I wrapped her in her quilt and sat in the rocking chair with her. This was a regular routine when she first returned home as I felt it critical in the bonding process. Besides who doesn't LOVE the feel of a sleeping baby in their arms! But as time has gone by we both have stopped doing this and I miss it.

As we sat there in the silence just rocking, she snuggled tight up against me and settled down under her quilt, hugging her "Asher Kitty". She took a deep sigh, opened her misty eyes and lovingly in a very sleepy voice said, "I love you Mama".

I know these may seem like routine words to some. But in my heart they will always feel like a gift straight from God. When you have waited for a child through adoption, and I can imagine infertility is much the same, you feel as though you've been given a miracle. We were blessed with two healthy biological sons whom I just "expected" would arrive on time, healthy, and all would be well. They were indeed and I Praise the Lord for His goodness. During those long 659 days that I waited to hold LL for the first time there was not a day that went by that I did not long to see her face, yearn to hold her in my arms and pray unceasingly for her well-being as she lived out her days in an orphanage a world away. So now to hear her speak, in English so clearly, those beautiful words that I waited SO LONG to hear, is still a miracle to me.


I can almost see the Angel wings :)

LL has been home now for nearly 15 months and I find something in her everyday that amazes me. She has opened her little heart to five strangers (and many more now!) and taken us as her own. She has left all that is familiar behind and now we are all she'll ever remember. Some days this grieves me so. I feel badly that we have removed her from the culture that God birthed her in. Though I realize that in her staying, she would never know even a shadow of the life she has now. My commitment to her in this regard is to help her hold tight to her Chinese heritage. We are doing this by attending programs, visiting museums, reading books, and even attempting to learn some Chinese. And most importantly adding some of her Chinese customs to our "old" family customs. This is the best I can do, though I realize it will never be enough to replace what she left behind.

Everyday I find such joy in seeing the relationship grow between her and her brothers. Today in the car she said, "I miss my boys at school". How sweet is that! BW, in his 18-year-old stage in life that is largely all about him, has this special voice he uses--just for her. He has a few pet names too. When he hugs her and nuzzles her, she giggles and squeals with this special laugh that only he can evoke. And there's BB, to her he is the source of all good fun. They run around together, they snuggle and watch movies, and she looks to him to solve her troubles saying, "Mitchell fix it".

I will forever feel we've been given a far greater blessing in adopting her than she will ever receive from us. God is good, all the time He is faithful and good.

Delivering the post


Picking the Perfect Leaves


A Card for Daddy

A Musical Weekend...

The past few weeks we have been keeping very busy with house projects, homework, yard work, homework, jobs, errands, homework and family logistics. Did I mention homework? So my posts have been sparse.

In fact we've been so busy that I forgot to post a picture of BW, who recently turned 18, yes 18. Man, I just don't feel old enough to have a child that old. YIKES!

So this weekend we all decided to goof off and just enjoy ourselves. SO MUCH NEEDED! I'd even dare to say that the boys were acting bored this afternoon. Good for the soul I'd say in this busy world we live in.

On Saturday night BW treated us to some babysitting services for LL so DB and I went to see one of our favorite Adirondack artists in concert at a local coffeehouse. A very nice evening. He even read some beautiful poetry before performing each song. Such a nice touch. Hearing his music just lifts my spirits and makes me SO appreciative of the wonderful childhood I had in the glorious ADK mountains. What a privilege to share them now with yet another generation.

Then after church today we went to a Fiddler's Jamboree. It took a little convincing but both boys came along too. After all, they both have learned to play the violin and viola from Mom and had lessons at school. But somehow I've lost them to the drums and guitar. Guess those instruments are much cooler in the guy world, LOL! There is still hope that I may get a violinist yet, LL has yet to discover her talents. I can wish! Nonetheless, we enjoyed hearing some talented musicians and LL had a ball dancing to the fiddle tunes. She even made a new friend who equally enjoyed dancing too.

It is now Sunday evening and we are all curled up into our favorite corners of the house. The fire is burning, the lights are dimmed, all are in their jammies. I love Sunday nights...


Happy 18 Big Guy, where does time go?


Snuggling with Daddy on Saturday Morning


Beetleboy's Cute Photo of Little Ladybug


Twirling to the Fiddle Tunes