Am I being Obedient?

The message today at church was on Matthew chapter 21 where Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. The pastor pointed out how obedient the disciples were upon securing the donkey for him. So the question of whom do you obey? arose! I very good question that has me especially thinking about it considering our choice of a home. My prayer has been to find a home that fits the needs that I think we need, not at all seeking what the Lord has for us!! I know now I need to change my thought process to be in sync with what the Lord wants for us!

We did drive around some neighborhoods today just to show the kids what is available and what is the reasoning why we have not found one. (Other than the above paragraph)! They would see a house they liked and then we would mention that it needed to be for sale! When we saw one for sale they had some comments as to the location of the home. It was nice for them to see how much is involved with what it takes to find the right fit.

Abigail's say on a house!

Abigail has been itching to go house hunting with us. So when our realtor called and asked me to see a home in just two hours, I figured this would be the perfect time to bring her along. I gave her the speech about other people's homes and not touching their stuff and also to minimize her comments as to not offend.

This home was perfect to bring her to. It was tiny - just 3 bedrooms with 7 1/2 foot ceilings upstairs. The 80 year old home was charming but waaaaaaay to small for our family of five. The previous owners have done a fabulous job at keeping the character of this home. And if I had only 1 child, I would have wanted this place!

Upon leaving Abigail too thought it was too small for us. The yard was no more than .15 acres. It was only 12 feet from the road - no sidewalks, basement smelled like cat and was no bigger than 10 x 10. (Bill would hit his head every time he went down the steps.)

It satisfied my daughter's longing to see a home with us! She had some good insights. She may come again soon!

Friends, friends, and more friends!

Our day began with us having to pick up Stephen from the Kimballs as he had a sleepover from Monday to Tuesday.  Since I knew our day was full I told him that it might be better to do the sleepover another day this week as there were not the same time constraints, but the boys would have none of that.  The sooner the better was the overall feeling.   (I could not get him there until around 3 pm on Monday as I had errands to take care of!

So with me getting delayed here for the pickup time we were very crunched in our schedule.  We had to rush back here as Barb and two of her kids were coming by so that we could have some bonding time together.  I offered up here as I knew it would be very hot and this place has a community pool we can attend.   They were able to get about 2 hours of swimming before it was time for them to make the trek home.  At those hours it is never fun traveling on the roads by the apartment.   

We had just a half hour before we were heading out the door again for a dinner with our friends the Simpsons!  Unfortunately they don't have anyone Stephen's age so I could see him getting ansy.  He did try to play with the young ones but that did not last too long as they were all paired off or all 4 were playing together.  The food and fellowship was great!  We could be their future neighbors has a house about 5 doors down is going on the market in a week or so!  It is a nice place to live as there is a huge park directly across the street that the kids could just go over and play at!  How fabulous would that be?!  We have to wait a little longer to see if it has all the right amenities we are looking for.   

Before we knew it it was 9:25 pm and time to get going as we were sitting outside getting a bit eaten up by the buggies!   Plus we did have some very cranky ornery children as this stage.  (Mine not theirs!)   Sleepovers are fun but they really can mess with the next days plans! 

Missionaries from Brazil

Today at church we had both the privilege and honor to have guests from Brazil.   A family from our church went on a mission trip to Brazil back in July and the Pastor and his wife came back with them for them to share with our church all that occurred there.  It was so touching to hear all the places they went and all the people lives they touched with the hand of God!

Pastor Sergio only speaks Portuguese so Romy had to translate.   It was great and it really touched my heart.    I don't feel a calling to be a missionary but I would love to support one.  I did about 6 years ago for a full year.  Anyway, Pastor spoke on the heart and how God changed his and called him into the mission field.   They work with the Wai-Wai tribe and also with people who live in the slums.  He is also a teacher at the seminary there.  Truly moving!    

I left there thinking all day about how my heart needs to be touched by God.   I am not saying that I expect the same kind of touching but I know that I just need to give Jesus more of me and my time and wonderful amazing things will occur.   I will be praying this for myself and for all of my friends and family.   Just imagine how wonderful our lives will be! 

Some photos

Below are some photos that I found on an SD card. Enjoy!

These are the tadpoles we are trying to grow

into frogs. As you can see on the rock we have

been a little successful about it developing legs

it turned into a frog and stuck itself to the side of the

bowl. I cooked an egg for it and then we found it

bellyup the next morning.

Crazy girl!

Cousins

Lunch with the Hubby!

This week has been spoiling us. We were able to go out to lunch again today. Bill's boss is away this week and that has been freeing up Bill at lunch time. We went into Princeton to check out a new work chair for Bill. So while there we went into this little cafe place. The food was yummy! I will definitely revisit this place. The other plus they had going for them is that most of the stores have stopped taking credit cards but not this one. I am a cashless individual and that can pose some problems when you go out and about in Princeton.

I love it when we can spend some alone time together. We are really taking advantage of him working so close to where we live. I only hope it can last when we find a home.

I enjoyed my food immensely. Cleared the plate!

Grilled veggie sandwich with buffalo mozzarella and

pasta salad on the side.

Hot summer days!

As much rain as we have had this summer lately it has been very hot. That is part of the reason we went to the beach so much. I love being by water when it is the summer time. So on Wednesday after all the commotion died down we just hung around the pool at my parents. It was brutally hot. Bill and I had the opportunity to go out to lunch together at On the Border. Afterwards I went over to pick up the kids. I stayed for dinner so that I could see my Dad and make sure he was okay. He is! (He went to the doctor and he is okay but the doctor wants him to get more testing since it has been several years since any type of work was done.)

Here are some photos of the kids by the pool.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog my parents took my kids on Monday night in order to go up to Jones Beach in NY for the day Tuesday.   At 9:30 pm I decided to call to see how the day had gone for everyone involved.   I called my Dad on his cell and they were still driving home.   He had said everything went well especially when Stephen rescued Pop-pop (him).   I think he is referring to the ocean as my Dad is not a strong swimmer.   Uh no, he proceeds to tell me how he and Stephen were carrying the cooler and he felt lightheaded and had to stop.   But it was too late as in minutes he passed out.  My cousin JeanMarie (who met them at the beach as she lives very close) started yelling for help and grabbed her cell phone to call 911.   (They put her on hold).   My Mom also starts yelling for help.  (A nice family came over with water bottles and were pouring water all over my Dad.)   Stephen ran to the lifeguards and told them that a man had passed out and it may have been his heart.  By the time Stephen got back to where my Dad was the paramedics (who work at first aid at the beach) were working on him and he was even awake and responsive.  They took him to the little room that they have on the boardwalk to make sure he was okay.   They even suggested he go to the ER but he refused.  You see he did not want to spoil the kids' day at the beach!    

The younger ones were down by the water and did not see any of this take place.   They only saw all the people around my Dad and he assured them that he was okay.   For the rest of the day my Stephen did not leave Pop-pop's side.   He stayed with him the entire day.  And when Joshua came out of the water he moved his chair right next to Pop too!   

The title is because me Dad was staying that the cooler knocked him out!  Which it did!   He tried to pull and carry this very big double cooler that was loaded with all their drinks, food, and ice!  We need to continually remind that man that he is no spring chicken!    I saw him work too hard when we were packing up the house!    I know we all tend to forget that as we get older  we are unable to do all that we once could.  But he did put a little fear in my kids.   Thankfully all ended very well.

They do have a doctor's appointment set up for Thursday evening and they will be getting an EKG done to make sure all is well and normal.  

Dinner

Tonight's dinner at a fellow Israel tripper was wonderful.  I am soooooo excited about going.    I was very excited before but having spoke with the Pastor who will be leading our group,  I cannot wait!!!   I want to start marking off the calendar now!   The next few months there are some reading materials that he highly suggests, in addition to the Bible.  So tomorrow I begin looking for the books in order to get started.   

We got to see some pictures of the various places we will be going to and I can't wait.  Thanks to Deb for hosting the dinner.    It was nice and intimate.  The trip will not be as we will be 50 total when we are all in Israel.  

At the Beach

Monday was yet another beach day here for us.  What a blast we are having.  We had the opportunity to go with my Mom and niece Jaide.   Stephen opted to stay at home as he has a bad rash inside his legs.  We suspect it is from the bathing suit and since he has been in his 4 of the last seven days, I think he might be right.   

It was a beautiful day.   We went out to Belmar again.  It is such a nice beach and an easy drive.   I am truly amazed at Josh and Abigail.  Abigail was riding those waves and diving into them.  It was such a sight to see.  Josh was without fear braving the waves too.  I was shocked to see him out there.  Remember he is NOT a fan of going under the water but yet he wiped out several times.   He laughed it off and spit it out and then went right back out there.  I even went into the water to be with him but he had found a friend and was not interested in hangin with me.  Abs and Jaide had lots of fun together.  Poor Jaide though she was having a tough time with her bathing suit.  All sore inside her legs.

We arrived back home around 5:30p.  The kids got cleaned up and then packed up and went with my Mom to her house.  Her and my Dad are taking them out to a NY beach on Tuesday.  I am unable to go as we have a meeting this evening regarding Israel.   I know they are having lots of fun.

  

Chef Joshua

For Joshua's birthday last week I purchased him a cook book. I wasn't too sure how it was going to go over but he really likes it and has been looking to make something all week long. On Friday morning he got his wish. He made the blueberry pancakes. He was very proud of himself and cannot wait until we have some time to make another thing. They were yummy!

More House Hunting

Saturday morning brought us out and about again looking at some houses. We began early and finished early considering the last house we could not get in. Let me back up - We started at a house that was for sale by owner. So they had to be there. I am not a fan of the people being home as they want to "sell" their home. It was a lovely home but did not have all the right space for our size family. The lot was little bit small too. Mostly side yard. The second house was great but it was on a busy cut-through street and I can see some danger down the road with my daughter. Since she loves being outside, I know she will be involved in some unfortunate accident. DON'T want that to happen so it comes off the list. But let me just say it had ALL and MORE of what we were looking for. The current owners are homeschoolers themselves so the already have space dedicated to a classroom. See what I mean!!! :). The 3rd house was a no-go from the get-go. We arrived a tad bit early and the man was very nasty stating that we would have to "wait a bit". We walked the outside of the property and we were not at all impressed with the curb appeal. Lots of overgrown weeds and an area of the yard was just pooling with water. I mean it was saturated and although we did recently have rain it should have dried up by now. So that made 2 negatives. Here is the 3rd and final - while we were walking around our realtor went over to talk to the owner stating that he has been having trouble using his electronic lock thing to get into a house and the guy said well that's your problem. So needless to say we never made it in and we have NO desire to head back. I'm thinking the guy really doesn't want to sell. Besides, can you imagine the nightmare it would be to finalize a contract with that yahoo. NO Thanks!!! I was a bit bummed that we were all over the place and had no luck as Rick (realtor) said he picked the best in the crop. Uh Oh! But Bill and I have decided to get some homes together this weekend and have him set up appointments for one night this week. I think sticking in the same town will give us a better feel for what is available to us. In all fairness to Rick, we were extremely busy this week and unable to devote the necessary time to looking at the houses we wanted to see. After today I am definitely being involved. LOL!

A different beach

The wonderful thing about where we live is the access we have to many different fun exciting interesting places this area does offer. And let me just say how we have been really enjoying the beach aspect. As you saw from our last beach post, we had such a good time.

So today we had the opportunity to head due east and meet some friends at the beach. It was a lot closer trip then on Wednesday. Now the funny thing is that I did not look at any directions prior to our leaving because from all the talk I heard about the location of this beach I figured you just drive until you hit it. Needless to say I was wrong. Thankfully the van has a gps and my phone has a gps as well. So with Stephen as my navigator we were able to get where we needed to be. I am also glad we left a little earlier as that helped us arrive right on time. We were parking and unloading within minutes of our friends arrival. I was concerned that my time would not be pleasant as upon arrival for loading I apparently parked wrong for unloading and a lady went all NJ on me. I acted very innocent. ;) Then waiting in line for bathroom brought out another girl making sure I was not trying to sneak in the "back way". In all honesty - I have never been down there before and there were two openings for the bathroom. Usually with two doors they will tell you which is the exit and entrance so those things don't happen. Anyway I digress. The point I am trying to make was all that occurred prior to me even stepping foot onto the sand. I was very worried that all would go downhill. But I was wrong.

After bathroom and beach tag purchases we were able to walk onto the beach. Yay!!! We wanted to get pretty close to the water so we could sit and watch the children. All went very well. Within 2 minutes of us dropping our stuff all the children were in the water. The waves were rougher than the other day and Josh was not too happy but he persevered and even though he got knocked down and had mouthfuls of salt water he stayed in there. He was the one who did take the most breaks but he kept going back. Abigail only came out to each lunch and play on the playground for a bit but went right back in. She did not want to leave at 4:00. Stephen was wiped out. The beach from the other day the late night the night before and how rough these waves were exhausted him that he slept on the way home. He was going off to youth group after dinner and he was not very excited to be going but go he did. And yes he had a good time.

Once again I messed up with the camera situation. I had charged the battery and was all set to go when we reached the beach that I realized I left my camera in the car. UGH!!!! So the pictures are from my phone's camera. They are not so good but they give you a glimpse of our time at Belmar Beach!

Josh in the ocean!

Me and Abs.

That is the crew we were with. Stephen is the tall

one out there and Josh is standing next to him.

Robin is in the foreground with Hope. And Luke

and Abigail are right in front of Josh and Stephen.

Jake was the only one missing from the shot.

Crowded!

The Kimballs

It has been quite some time since we have seen our good friends. We love this family so very much that our children call them aunt and uncle. Our Stephen especially enjoys his time with them as they have 4 boys all around his age. I think it has been over 5 months since we last visited with them. (Where does the time go?) We have gone on many a Disney vacation with this family and have had some really wonderful moments together.

We arrived shortly after lunch time and did not leave until 11:15 pm. And I know had it not been that late we would've stayed even longer. They have a wonderful home and I don't even think I spoke more than 10 words to all my children the entire time we were there. It is such a blessing to have such a family to fellowship with.

Here are some photos:

David and Abigail

Ping Pong

Matthew

Joshua Kimball

dessert

Stephen Kimball and Joshua Shea

Look at the smile on his face!

Our Abigail is the only girl but they are all so good and accommodating that she really doesn't miss it. She has problems with her brother (Stephen) as he really doesn't want her around the stuff he does with the boys (I really should be calling them guys, um, young men). All in all a great and wonderful time.

The Beach

We went to the beach today!!! OH the excitement was high around here. My kids and I all love it very much. They love it all. I am not such a big fan of the water but I will persevere for my kiddos.

We had a bit of a late start. We were headed to Ocean City NJ to meet up with my in-laws. They and Kathy and Mike rented a quaint little place a block from the ocean. They invited us down for the day. We ended up staying for 8 hours. It is a 2 hour drive from here.

We finally arrived just before lunch. We ate some food first and then walked over to the beach. Thankfully they are so very close. Everyone pitched in with carrying some stuff and it made for an easier walk. My kids could not believe how hot the sand was. (And it was an overcast day)!

I was so impressed Josh and how much he ventured out into the water and how far. Abigail felt like an old pro. She was in pretty far. I was happy to see hoards of people in the water. I am very freakish about the shark thing. I know, I know I am a nut. But we were very close to the pier and often times that equals the perfect scenario for shark sightings. But all was well for the longest time there were 2 lifeguards in the water on a jet ski. Seeing that I was able to rest easier.

The water was very warm and surprisingly not too rough. The waves were very manageable and fun. Even little Julia (21 months old) was in the waves part and having a great time. Kathy and I was holding onto her and helping her jump the waves. Very very cute.

At this time I only have a few photos as my camera battery died just as we stepped into the ocean so I used my Mom-in-laws camera and she said she will send me the pictures. I will post those when they come in. But here goes what I was able to capture:

Walking to beach

My brother-in-law Mike

Kathy, Abs, Josh

The boardwalk

My father-in-law

The beach house porch

just walking the sidewalk

This last photo is of some delicious caramel popcorn. The family had some in the house and we could not resist stopping on our way out and buying us this big tub. I figured it would be a great treat for the ride home. What I need to tell you is the torrential rain storm that was occurring upon our departure that when I turned on the street for Stephen to jump out and buy said popcorn - he stepped into a puddle that was above his ankles. I pulled up and had to stop in the middle of the street for him to get out. He was gone some time and I could not figure it out so I go walking up the steps onto the boardwalk only to discover I pulled down the wrong street he had to walk one whole block back to get to the store. We were soaked by the time we got back to the car. Thankfully the shop gave us the bucket in a plastic bag so nothing got too wet. But this popcorn was soooooo worth it. It was just nice and warm and melted in your mouth. Yummy!!! It was worth the price!

Poolside in PA

What a beautifully hot hot day we had on Monday. So I decided to head over to our PA resort - aka my parents house! My mom is like me we love to be outdoors in the nice weather so years ago she had my dad add a swimming pool to their wonderful yard. The pool is getting old and in some spots (tiles and the bottom) you can see the wear and tear. But it is 20+ years!

We had a fabulous time spending the day with my niece Jaide - my mom watches her 3 days a week during the summer time. My aunt Dee - she goes in and out of the house as she cannot be in the sun too long due to medications she is taking. And of course my Mom - who loves to play with the kids in the pool. We got sooo carried away with a game that we completely lost an hour of time. We had to scramble out of the pool for Sarah, Jaide's Mom, was coming to pick her up. And I needed to get us home and cook dinner before Bill and I headed out for a little time together.

What a fun fun day! It really brought back memories of when our extended family would come down for a visit and we would play all sorts of games and such! I think we may need to plan another one of those times. I see a family reunion here on the horizon!

Here are some photos to capture the day! I did not take many as I myself was in the pool most of the time. You had sweat pouring off your back if you were out of water for any amount of time.

The girls set up this crazy contraption.

Stephen - he really is happy. The sun is just so bright.

Abigail and her stash.

Me mum

Us driving home. They were wiped out!

Weekend over?

I cannot believe it is already Monday morning. I am so shocked as to how quick this weekend went. A little recap here. Friday as you know was Joshua's birthday.

Saturday morning brought us meeting with a realtor and on a whim we decided to check out two houses. They were okay. The 1st had a fabulous yard and the inside was kept us nice but waaaay to pricey. The 2nd home also nice but a little farther away than I wanted to be. Did not feel as though either of those homes were to be ours. I know we have only just begun and that is part of why I am thinking ours is still out there. Then back to pick up Abigail for a birthday party invite. Before I knew it I was back out the door to pick her up. The kids enjoyed playing Wii resorts! It is very fun.

Sunday was church and then Stephen had his friend Noah over. Once again before I knew it it was 5:30 and time to bring Noah back home. Stephen and I picked up some pizza for dinner. We then had some cupcakes for dessert and finished the weekend watching Race to Witch Mountain. Very fun but very filled weekend. I suspect that most of our weekends will feel they go quickly when we look for houses. But that is okay as I would love to find our home so we can move into our 2nd phase of life here in NJ.

Birthday celebration!

Grandma, Aunt Dee, and Jaide all came over today to spend some time with us for Joshua's birthday. Grandma asked Josh were he wanted to eat and he chose Friday's. This happens to be the place we always go to for lunch when Grandma comes to visit. It is really close by and we don't have trouble getting a seat.

It was cold inside the restaurant but all went well. It did seem to take them a long time to bring out our food but maybe that is because we were 7 people. Joshua made it a point to tell the waiter it was his birthday so when Josh was in the bathroom the waiter informed us that he will be bringing over the ice cream when Josh got back. He was very surprised that they all came over to sing to him. He said, "That was unexpected." I thought he might get a little too nervous but he did well. There was a couple sitting by us that yelled happy birthday to him and he was just so very excited!!!

He enjoyed his afternoon very much!

These are some Star Wars lego figures!

His excitement over stormtrooper gun!

Stephen gave Josh Star Wars complete saga!

Gun with helmet he received back at Christmas.

Very cool nascar toy.

coloring things from Jaide.

Nintendo Dogs for DS

guns and sword from Grandma and Pop (they make noise)!

Jaide and Abigail

brothers

Sisters

Being sung to!