In the Cleft of The Rock

Emmanuel Baptist Church's Christmas Pageant

2010-12-14T22:47:00.000-06:00

The kids have been working hard in Emmanuel's Christmas Pageant this year... if you want to see it, one of the performances is up on Emmaneul's website: http://www.emmanuelenid.org/

Click on "Media", "Watch Live" then login w/ an email address, and finally click on the Christmas Pageant.

If you don't have enough time to watch all of the pageant, Thaddeus is one of the Wisemen in the pink vest at 12:20; Nathanael and Hannah with the bells at 16:30; Hannah as the Innkeeper's Daughter at 38:28; singing at 46:00; and a towns person at 58:50.

Bad Bloggers!

2010-11-21T00:24:00.000-06:00

Ok, ok... so we're a little late in posting, but it's been quite a year:) The house has been quite a project. We've begun calling it our "Can of Worms." In spite of frustrations, God has blessed us! We started with this: http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?T=1815806

Then, shortly after we had Seth, we began destruction and construction on an addition to the house (a new master bed/bath/closet and office). Everyone had to get in on the action:)

Ryan worked so hard, even his friend, Mt. Dew, couldn't wake him!

Part of the old Master Bedroom... now the Baby's Room/Guest Room

New hall to addition

New walk in Hall Closet--was the old Master Closet and Hannah's Old Closet

Hannah's new walk-in closet--this used to be the old Master 1/2 Bath

New Office--small, but large enough for desks for both Ryan and Rebecca

New Master Bedroom

New Master Closet

New Master Bath

Old Garage--New School Room/Workout Room/Game Room/Storage/Etc. Ryan's workbenches are to the left.

Old Kitchen

Looking out into the garage/school room from the kitchen and the little entry is the laundry.

New Kitchen

Kitchen Granite

My favorite Cupboard

My favorite Drawer

Ryan's idea for a Bar and Bookshelf and Pantry to the Left are WONDERFUL!

New Dining Room

More Dining Room and Kitchen

Living Room (Painted)

More Living Room

Old Cupboard in Hall Bath--Water Softener is coming

Boys helping with the Water Softener Installation

Water Softener and Filter

French Drain

More French Drain

End of Drain

New Lamp Post

Old Lamp Post and "Bob" the faithful Truck

New landscaping Ryan's Mom helped with

New Shed

Tree and swing...

Now, Tree House

Kids and Dog in summer '10

Gram & PopPop Trip in Oct. '10

We promise to be better bloggers... please don't shoot, Mr. Cowboy!:)

In the meantime...

2009-11-10T23:18:00.000-06:00

We have been busy with other ventures. On top of us doing all of the demolition/drywall/painting, working full time learning a new part of Ryan's job, he was also training for a 1/2 marathon.

Before the run

Finishing the 13.1 miles

Rebecca has been busy with the addition to the family...

as well as all the other "kids" in the house

just missing sis in this photo

here is one with sis

The kids have been busy hitting milestones of their own... the older two in school and the younger two physically...

first day on TWO wheels.

Very exciting!

After reviewing all these things/events... all I can do is praise God for his faithfulness and His provisions of safety and wellbeing of the family. So even with all the work and hardships that we have faced... I take great joy in them. Ecclesiastes 3:22

Been a long time pt 2

2009-11-10T22:30:00.001-06:00

Same wall of the old master bedroom

Opposing views of the framing

Same corner...

Been a long time

2009-11-10T21:52:00.004-06:00

This was the beginning along with some of the stages in-between as seen from the outside.

Seth Titus Edwards

2009-06-26T19:03:00.003-05:00

Seth has entered our world in person. At 05:30 or thereabouts on Sunday morning (Father's Day), Rebecca's bag of waters broke. We arrived at the hospital around 6am. Seth was born at 07:18 July 21, 2009; 7lbs. 10oz.; 21 1/2" long; blonde hair; blue eyes.

Dr. Ferguson arrived on the run in time to clamp and cut the cord that was wrapped twice around Seth's neck... and catch. Seth was a bit dusky and needed oxygen, but revived well and has done outstanding. At his 4 day check up, he had already gained back his birth weight plus 3 oz. He is a delight to all--easy going and loves to hear his siblings around him. (They also enjoy him greatly!)

2 weeks before birth:

Few hours after birth (catching up on some TV with Dad:)

Going home, one day old (snagging a bite to eat first) :

New Pictures/No Baby Appearance Yet!

2009-06-05T21:25:00.006-05:00

So sorry for the delay in posting, but a combination of pregnancy, moving, buying a house, cars, renovating aforementioned house, carpal tunnel in pregnant Mommy's hands, moving into the house with 3 separate shipments (minus a dining room table that mysteriously disappeared from storage), etc... has kept us away from the computer for the most part. However, we did get some pictures here and there and thought you would enjoy a short snapshot of our lives the last couple of months until we can get more on here...

Stopping at Norfolk on our way from the Azores to Enid, we met up with Ryan's sister Maureen and family... all had a blast in the relatively quiet morning airport.

Papa and Mama Robin took up residence outside our living room windows and produced some exciting babies to watch.

The boys (perhaps inspired by their sister...the story gets a little fuzzy there) decided to snack on the seeds of our backyard tree. We spent that Saturday morning trying to find out what the tree was, much less whether it was poisonous. All was good... evidently it is a male Pecan tree. Boys!!!

We're supposed to be outside looking at a brewing tornado, right?:) Leave it to Ryan! You can see some of our house in the picture--some day we'll get some acceptable pictures.

Our backyard has many kid-pleasures, not the least of which is a couple of trees to climb...

...and then fall out of...

Nathanael

2009-02-15T15:49:00.001-06:00

It all started with Hannah's baptism. Nathanael started asking lots of questions about what it meant and how he would get to do it... that sort of thing. Anyways, Wednesday night about 3 weeks ago he ran in to tell Pastor Art... "PASTOR ART! I HAVE JESUS IN MY HEART... CAN I GET BAPTIZED?!?" Nathanael was so excited about this it came out as a yell. A very exciting time for Nathanael… and all those that participated in this decisive choice about eternity.

Baby #4 Ultrasound

2009-02-01T15:17:00.002-06:00

Baby #4 at just almost 20 weeks... (No, we didn't find out... still just guessing:) Very active little one--kept kicking mom and the technician:)

Birthdays

2009-01-29T09:12:00.004-06:00

Well here it is... the long anticipated pictures from Hannah's birthday. The unique thing about this is that the power went out immediately following Ryan pulling dinner out of the oven. This slowed down the evening but I think it made it all the more memorable.

Here you can see Hannah blowing out the candles with candles on the table for light.

The clothes she got for her birthday were a huge success with Hannah. She has chosen to wear them every day since. Thanks to all those who sent presents and cards for Hannah.

Christmas Eve Play

2008-12-24T16:47:00.003-06:00

The children were a part of the Christmas Eve service at church tonight. Some of our members also played some wonderful musical numbers with flute and violin. Hannah was a bright, lovely angel. Nathanael, the king with the GOLD (he claimed he was the richest king:). Thaddeus tried diligently (in spite of contrary supervision) to light his shepherd's staff on fire with the candles. To top it all off, one young shepherd lost his "hat" in the middle of the performance and wailed until his "hat" was put back on by his mom. All in all, a great success and lots of fun:)

Thaddeus just wanted to hold the sign!

Ahh, got it right...

The musicians:

Our little angel (and pyro-brother)...

Camp Work

2008-12-13T15:11:00.005-06:00

We spent the morning helping to plant trees at the camp. The kids had a blast and were just as exhausted as Mom and Dad!:)

Nathanael's Birthday

2008-12-10T16:27:00.004-06:00

Sorry this is being posted so late... schedule craziness. Anyways here are the photos I think the family would enjoy the most. Enjoy!

The facial expression says it all... he didn't say much... just stared... I think he was in shock.

Pictures

2008-11-13T19:14:00.004-06:00

We had a good time at Duck Lake taking Christmas pictures. The one here is not the final picture, but just a teaser... the lighting was not the best in this one. And, then after all the 'formal' pictures were over, the kids got to feed the ducks (the best part of the trip... either that, or chasing the ducks:).

Finally, we had our first introduction to Baby Edwards #4 today. The technician mentioned the baby was very active for one so young... sounds so much like an Edwards:) It was fun to see the heart beating and leg kicking--even at barely 9 weeks! Enjoy!

Drum Roll, please....

2008-11-03T09:48:00.002-06:00

....and the winner is:

VANCE AFB, OKLAHOMA!

Wait, didn't we just come from OK? Well, God isn't quite through with the Edwards-Oklahoma combination yet:) We should be there sometime in April of next year. At least it is a bit more northern than Altus is; and in a more populated location; and of course, a wonderful homeschool state! Thanks for all the prayers!

btw, little "bump" is doing well... kickin' Mama's hiney with lots of nausea, but what else is new?:)

Harvest Day

2008-11-01T16:54:00.002-05:00

You may ask why there are no pictures of Hannah... She was running around with her friends having a grand time and daddy was not always ready with the camera.

Hope you enjoyed!

Hannah's Drawing

2008-10-14T14:04:00.003-05:00

Got this drawing from Hannah the other day... and the story that goes along with it is pretty funny. I like the detail of the blood from the lion eating the "bull" on the haunches added with the flowers and hearts around it. I laugh every time I look at it.

The story goes something like this... "the baby lion was wandering off one day and got lost. The bull found the baby lion and was not very nice, so the baby lion cried out really, really loud. His mommy and daddy heard him and came running. Daddy bit the bad bull on the haunches [yes, she said haunches] and saved the baby lion. They decided to eat the bull after the baby was saved."

Must have been the science lessons she learned the other day about lions that gave her the idea.

Belated BDay Present

2008-10-11T09:46:00.001-05:00

Yes, Rachel... you guessed it.... we're pregnant with Baby #4... we got the results (rather quickly and positively:) this morning! Due Date: June 20th. Pray for us!:):)

Hmmm...

2008-10-02T17:50:00.002-05:00

We found this interesting... and since we've all "smelled" politics in the air... well, we hope you enjoy:)

Share our joy...

2008-09-23T17:28:00.002-05:00

The day finally arrived for Hannah. She asked about this about a month ago and we met with the pastor to ensure that she was ready for it. Hannah was baptized on Sunday. We are all very happy to have a sister in Christ as a daughter!

You can see her grin from ear to ear... as well as her missing tooth!

Camping

2008-08-30T12:02:00.004-05:00

Two separate weekends... one for the boys and one for the girls. Each of us enjoyed ourselves immensely. Enjoy the photos!

Senic view from the camp.

Boys and fire... an inseparable camping combination.

Nathanael ~ Who really enjoyed the tent.

Thaddeus ~ Who really enjoyed daddy's sheet (yes I was cold)

Girls did a good job on their tent. (It was about a dozens times more complex than the boy's tent)

Hannah playing with friends near the fire pit.

Somebody turned THREE!!!

2008-08-25T16:19:00.003-05:00

Well here they are... with much anticipation. Enjoy.

Swords in the Hands of Boys!

2008-08-11T15:22:00.002-05:00

Leave it to a guy to send our boys something like this!!! (Actually, it was pre-approved by us:) The Mathews decided the kids needed something extra to beat each other with... Hannah got a lovely princess sign (I'm sure she can bop the boys over the head with it if needed:) Enjoy!:)

Vacation Bible School (Part 1--we hope)

2008-08-06T17:33:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, Hannah! Happy Jesus Bday, that is. Yes, Hannah prayed and asked Jesus in her heart today at VBS. She had prayed earlier in her life, but I think she really had a good understanding that she was asking Jesus to save her and come into her heart today. Then (amazing to us), she got up on stage and announced that she had done so clearly enough that I (in the back) was able to hear over all the noise of a full church of kids!

So, with the topic of heaven, Jesus, sin, and hell in our minds tonight, Nathanael (who has prayed also in the past) was worried about mention of hell. I asked him if he had Jesus in his heart. He said, "Yes!" I told him Jesus never leaves once you ask Him in. Great relief spread through his face, and he promptly turned to Thaddeus and proceeded to tell him that hell was an angry place, full of fire. That you get owies all up and down your body there. And, then they cook you up and EAT you! I don't know where he gets these ideas from. I also wonder if we'll be up with Thaddeus tonight and nightmares!!!:) Gotta love brothers!

Love to all... enjoy the pictures and hopefully we'll have more to come soon!

New Pajamas

2008-07-22T15:52:00.003-05:00

Well... they finally arrived. The kids are VERY excited about the gifts they got from Grandmama and Gampy.

It Is a Big Island, After All

2008-06-17T17:25:00.005-05:00

My parents used to ask us kids if they needed to call the Paramedics, the Navy, Army, Air Force, Ambulance, Fire Department, etc., etc. when we got hurt. I don't think that will be the tactic around our house now. That's right... though a small island, Michelle, we do have an ambulance... and they know their way to our front door!

Rest assured, at the moment I write this, we are all safely at home and kids are resting soundly. Now, on to the story. Yesterday, I calmly assumed responsibility for the youngest as I went to return some things at the BX (much easier without the whole gaggle of kids--Ryan included:)--with me). Oh, by the way, I should back track. I had a great time in the DC area--THANK YOU, Best family and extended family, for taking such good care of me!!! I arrived home sleepy but sound. A few days later, Ryan's parents came for a whirl-wind visit of the Island. Let me assure you, they DID the Island. I'm not sure there is much left to see:) In the midst of their trip, each one of the kids got sick--never together, but one right after the other. Not a bad illness, but enough that they needed a day of fluids and rest. The kids were all well enough to play the last day Mom and Dad were here, then Mom and Dad left on a flight on Father's Day. Yesterday (Monday) was calm and quiet--a recovery day from all the activities--we thought. Then, I left for the BX.

While at the BX--in line--in fact, Thaddeus and I heard a siren. I got down on Thaddeus' level and we prayed. (After his "Amen," he made some rather convincing siren sounds himself:) We finished up our business and drove home. As I reached the base of our street, I noticed a friend of ours looking at us intently. I waved and she made a step as if to walk toward the car, so I stopped and turned off the music. About this time, I looked up our street and noticed the police and ambulance parked in front of our house.

Our friend didn't know exactly what was going on, but decided to go up with me. Another neighbor came out to tell me that Nathanael had been hurt. They took care of Thaddeus as I ran inside.

Nathanael, Hannah, and neighborhood kids had been riding their bikes. Nathanael apparently got a bit too close to one of the kids and bumped the other kid's back tire with his front tire, which it seems was enough to throw Nathanael to the ground--face first into the concrete. Ryan heard the scream and ran up to the site of the accident, he took off his shirt to help stop the bleeding and got Nathanael home. He had neighbors and kids helping, but finally decided that it looked like Nathanael would need stitches. He called the clinic, which was inconveniently closed, and decided since he didn't have the van with the car seats to transport Nathanael to Angra, that he would call 911 and see what the dispatcher suggested.

You guessed it, a few minutes later, the police with the ambulance in tow came wailing through base housing. Nathanael lost it when he saw the cop (asked why later, I have heard two different explanation, "I thought the policeman would cut off my lip" and "I thought he would shoot my lip"). Leave it to a boy! The paramedics were wonderful with Nathanael and I finally showed up halfway through the fiasco and was able to get Nathanael to rinse his mouth out.

When all was said and done, a tooth was wobbly (they're all baby teeth anyway, so no big concern), he had a good split in his lip on the inside, his lip is really swollen, and Mom had to tackle the new clothes he was wearing with the stain stick. So, he is eating mushy foods for the most part, drinking with a straw (which he loves), and loving life as now he has a great story that he is telling EVERYONE on the island. Thank you for your prayers. We really do covet them!

Snack time (after the cave)

2008-05-31T09:30:00.003-05:00

Decided to have the snack I brought along for the kids looking out over the lake... well couldn't expect the kids (especially mine) to stay away from the water. Don't know what I was thinking. Anyways, they all set out and as soon as they saw that there were frogs in the pond, they got sucked in even further to the mud and water. Nathanael lost a shoe in the muck. Thaddeus fell over and then sat down in the muck. Man, what a mess (but fun!)

This was the drive home. Had to stop and take a picture.

Gruta do Natal

2008-05-31T08:45:00.005-05:00

This first photo is of us in the Algar do Carvão. We have an earlier post with a lot more photos of this cave if you are interested.

Went to the caves... and yes we found one of the more rugged caves. Found out that there are over 60 caves like these throughout the 9 Azorean islands.

This one is named Gruta do Natal or Christmas cave. It is named the Christmas cave because since 1969 they have held a Christmas mass inside the cave and have for every year after that. Pretty cool.

The pictures are mostly of Hannah and Nathanael because Thaddeus was deathly afraid of the caves... didn't help they had some of the scarier music of the movie "The Lord of the Rings" playing in the background. So he was pretty much clinging to my leg or in my arms. The first photo is before we really got into the cave and he got scared.

Yes Nathanael... one more picture. Smile, please?

Hope you enjoyed!

Fumas do Enxofre

2008-05-29T18:20:00.003-05:00

Today was a “good day.” Every thing when kinda according to plan. Kids did well with breakfast and with the errands I had to run in the morning (i.e. commissary, BX, shoppette, mail box and other assorted runs) told the kids that after naps we would get to see a cave. They were all VERY excited about our outing planned. As you can see from the pictures… there was not any caves. All outside walking path around the pretty cool thermal vents.

You can see here next to Thaddeus’ hand is a small vent that if you were to stick your hand into it you could feel the warm steam coming up through it.

Our planner of the group, Hannah, was pretty upset about not having any caves to explore.

Anyways, I ended up compromising (I know… a softy at heart) and said that we could go to the caves tomorrow.

I am going to try some new ones as well as a stop at the other (more domesticated) caves if I can not find the other ones. The other caves are said to be a little more “rugged.”

Some sun, a run, and a dip...

2008-05-26T17:43:00.008-05:00

Well, Rebecca is back in the States safely. Shopping spree for the next years worth of clothes and necessities that we don’t really feel like paying shipping for (i.e. Christmas/Birthday gifts) and for more importantly, relaxation time for Rebecca.

Yes, you heard correctly (scary, I know)... Ryan is home alone with the kiddos...
We went to the beach yesterday and today. Nothing to report for yesterdays festivities, but today we had a near drowning and a bicycle accident all within 2-3 hours of each other. First the bicycle accident... nothing new really. Thaddeus learning to ride (with training wheels) and hits something new, in this case unlevel ground. Bike tips, kid falls and wouldn't you know it; he hit the one thing NOT covered by the bicycle helmet... his face. He is alright... just a bruised forehead and ego.

Well, on to the big event; the near drowning of Nathanael. To set the stage Nathanael was in the water with a kick board (called it bogey board), daddy (me) in the sand with Thaddeus building a sand castle, Hannah off playing with some friends.

I was watching and waiting to see what was going to happen as Nathanael drifted in to some of the deeper than Nathanael water... would he kick back towards shore and continue playing or would he panic? Yup... panic sets in, instead of clinging to the floating toy and calling for help... the boy lets go and sinks. Dad jumps up and sprints the 10 yards and jumps into the water, a short swim later; Nathanael is back on top of the surface. All is well again.

So was the boy fazed by all of this?? Nope, I caught him 10 minutes later being dragged out into deeper than Nathanael water by the undertow of the wave action. Man, talk about keeping me on my toes.

Well... that’s it for this day’s adventure in "Ryan is home alone with the kiddos..." Hope you all enjoyed and be sure to check in tomorrow (or the next day) for the next exciting adventure!

Nathanael, our Cautious? boy

2008-05-14T16:30:00.009-05:00

After Ryan's post about Hannah's Mother's Day card, we thought it only right to include Nathanael's creation. Of course, there is a story behind it! Nathanael's Sunday School Teacher, Miss Tina, grabbed me Sunday to tell me that Nathanael insisted she write a note on his card. He started, "Mommy, NO!" She thought, 'Uh-oh, that does not sound like something that should be on a Mother's Day card.' He continued, "more...." 'Getting better,' thought Miss Tina. He finished, "bad stuff." :) Then, he started to write his name (which he knows rather well--especially for one so long), in the first try he made a mistake, so he crossed it out, and tried again. Miss Tina said when he realized he would not have room for the rest of his name on that line, he fell apart. She finally convinced him to continue writing his name up the other side of the card, and so he was happy again. So sweet.

Two days later, he decided to give Mommy a heart-attack.

We have been going as a family pretty regularly to the outdoor track on base. The kids walk or ride (Thaddeus in the jogger). There, Mom and Dad run or walk as it suits us and the kids play on the nearby playground or the hill. Of course there has to be a hill on our island...for the kids to create panic in their parents.

Nathanael and Hannah ride their bikes down this hill. Now the first time I saw this happen, I was concerned and warned the kids to turn at the end of the hill as it drops off onto the road below (do you see the problem yet?). For the most part they were doing as Mom had dictated. However, I had noticed Nathanael experimenting more and more with pedaling furiously down the hill and braking hard at the end; while his less cautious sister was braking all the way down the hill and turning as directed. Should have been a clue to me!

Tuesday, I had just finished running and was trying to corral Thaddeus back onto the jogger so I could do some more walking when I happened to glance up and see Nathanael head down the hill. 'He's stopping...surely he's stopping--Now. *GASP* HE DID NOT STOP!' I think there was a short moment of silence and motionlessness in the world. Then, I grabbed Thaddeus and pulled the jogger to the side as I heard Nathanael's piercing cry. I figured Ryan likewise heard me and Nathanael and was right behind my mad dash down the hill (nope--he didn't realize the life of his son was held by a thread and kept on running...Thaddeus was more than content to throw rocks down the hill, completely unconcerned for his brother's well being. After all, Mom was on the case, right?)

I arrived to find Nathanael on his bike, sobbing in fear, with his bike embedded in the Island aloe plants up to its seat--all you could see of the bike were the handle bars, the seat, and the rear tire. I stepped over the little wall he had jumped and pulled him back to safety, but decided for my own skin's wholeness and for the effect--Daddy could pull the bike out.

Nathanael had a little scratch on his knee.

The kids were so excited (all of them had to be a part of the fun now), that they dragged one of Ryan's co-workers away from starting his run to show him the bike. He has a little boy about Nathanael's age and twin boys Thaddeus' age. We chatted and laughed about the event all the way down the hill. When he saw the bike in the aloes, though, he got pretty serious and decided he would have to bring his wife and show her.

When Ryan was done with his run and shown the adventure, he promptly had the family kneel at the wall and thank the Lord for Nathanael's safety. We are not sure if Nathanael understands the seriousness of the ride he had, but tried to hammer it home by showing him if the plants had not been there--that car coming down the road could not stop in time to avoid hitting the boy on a bike careening down the hill at mock 2. By the way, Nathanael kept saying his brakes didn't work--in fact they did--he slid for several feet before hitting the wall, flying over it and landing in the aloe plants. Thank You, Lord, for Aloe Plants!

(We went back and took pictures on our walk today. The kids start at the top of the hill, and Nathanael is pointing where he landed...if you look closely, you can see some broken aloe branches.)

And it begins....

2008-05-12T08:02:00.009-05:00

This story is pretty short and sweet. I, Ryan, have the kids at the Exchange and am watching the boys playing with toys in the toy aisle. Hannah is getting older and has the opportunity to wander off, not too far, but is able to make it to the card section. She is in eye sight looking through the cards and begins to giggle... then outright laugh. She is almost in tears from laughing... she runs up and asks me if she can buy this for mommy. I obviously said yes.

Hope you enjoy!

Now you've done it...

2008-04-12T13:06:00.004-05:00

Yup...all it takes is an ounce of Daddy's DNA of a daredevil and it was bound to happen. We've had our first broken bone. Hannah broke her wrist trying to hold onto a piece of tape while sliding down the street light pole near our house. Hannah is in a splint until the radiologist can confirm the break (he happens to be out until Monday). Hannah fussed over little things for the first two days of the unconfirmed break, but is now finding ways to do all the things she loves with the brace. Although she does fuss about the wrist whenever it is something she doesn't enjoy. The brace is supposed to remain on for 4-6 weeks...we will see how it goes.
-----UPDATE----
We saw the orthopedic (Portuguese) doctor (with interpreter) who said Hannah has a green stick fracture and should be out of the brace at the beginning of May with no problems. Hannah has done outstandingly well with her brace, she is still writing and coloring, bike riding, etc... though she hasn't attempted the light pole recently (that we have been able to note:).

Another one bites the dust...

2008-04-05T06:38:00.005-05:00

Finally bit the dust I should say. This was the car that would not die, although the car did go onto life support several different times. The first time was the trip off of the back of Daddy's car, where the sudden stop (sidewalk) destroyed something within the circuit card. Daddy was unable to revive the car for about a month (troubleshooting with his limited electronic background.) Finally, Daddy resorted to short wiring the engine... this worked for several weeks. Take the batteries out of the charger, plug them in and watch the car go. Nathanael loved chasing the car around the street. There were several trips to the car ER (batteries, rocks, and puddles) all were solved until Nathanael let the car go down "The Hill" where the car ended up in a storm drain. Daddy came home and was asked ever-so-nicely to get the car out of the drain. Daddy complied (a story in and of itself) and rescued the car... again.

Nathanael was told that the car needed to "rest," but he thought that it had rest enough. Figuring out how to get the batteries in was not all that difficult... but something was wrong... the car was not going. It was making noises and was smoking. This freaked out Nathanael... I mean he took off in search of Daddy screaming at the top of his lungs, "MY CAR IS ON FIRE!!" Daddy not taking it seriously, started to meander his way back to the house... and sure enough. It was smoking from the engine housing, and had filled the garage with the distinct smell of melting electrical insulation. So, to end this sad, sad story... we must say goodbye to a well used (sometimes abused) friend.

Lights, Camera, Action!

2008-03-27T12:28:00.009-05:00

We have wanted to get a video of Thaddeus saying his cute words before he grew out of them... well, yesterday he began saying "motorcycle" correctly, so we got hot! Of course the other two couldn't be outdone. Hope you enjoy. (We try to put our memory verses to music--it helps the kids and mom remember them:)

Family Pictures

2008-03-20T17:57:00.005-05:00

We just got these pictures from Thaddeus' Sunday School Teachers so I thought I would share. Such a wonderful family we have here!

And, fresh from the hospital--Rebecca's sister had her second born and first boy today--Levi Trennis George-Miller! Welcome, Levi. God's greatest blessings on you and your family. Love from the Edwards! (Check out the "Menno-Daddy" link on our blog for more details.)

Bless You, Me!

2008-03-18T15:18:00.005-05:00

Thaddeus sneezed and before anyone else could use their manners, he did, "Bless you, Me!" All you can do is laugh sometimes.

The kids had a wonderful day, learning at school (Hannah got to use her whiteboard--her all time favorite learning tool and Thaddeus got a "desk" set up for "his school"), then we spent some time at the squadron "house" where Nathanael got to play with fire--thank you, Dad--and the boys were blessed by some of the fliers from the US Navy VAQ-209 Squadron, "Star Warriors" with their squadron patches right off their flight suits. We have really enjoyed having the opportunity to serve the guys on their way to or from the desert, though I think the kids do the most:). In the midst of her busy day, Hannah built a model of Lajes' Airfield from Legos--you may not see it in the picture, but there is an Air Traffic Controller in the tower.

Last Sunday we were greeted in bed by a special Fairy Godmother... I'm sure Hannah and Nathanael had something to do with that!!!:) And, last but not least--a great big THANK YOU to the Bennetts for their Easter package... oh yeah, and for the lovely confetti they sent with the box!:}

Paintball!

2008-02-26T17:09:00.004-06:00

For those who have been waiting with baited breath.... pictures:) By hook or crook, I am going to get a pair of BDU pants for the next day out! We should have taken pictures of my legs torn up by the brambles after the game. Pain... weakness leaving the body!:) Enjoy!

Feast or Famine

2008-02-24T11:33:00.004-06:00

Ok, ok... so it works that way sometimes:) Here are some shots of Thaddeus riding his bike... he's been doing so for a couple weeks now, but I finally got the camera out to chronicle his growth. It is almost scary he's that big now. He loves riding (or maybe just being like his big brother--did you catch the big brother coming down the hill in the first picture?); but he isn't exactly adept at the breaks yet (Mom still gets to be the brakes at times). It's funny, in a sadistic sort of way, he'll come flying at you with perfect confidence if he aims for you, you will be certain to catch him. AGHGH! This boy is bound to give me gray hairs! Hey--guess who the cute boy is riding the bike in the puddles back in Altus, OK???

The Nathanael pictures were caught just by chance. After I rounded Thaddeus into the house, I went to herd Nathanael in the same direction and still happened to have the camera in hand when I caught him climbing around. Oh, to be a kid again...wait--I still am, and I'll prove it as soon as the paintball pictures come in!:)

Blogging Procrastinator

2008-02-24T05:54:00.005-06:00

I have been accused of not blogging lately. This is true. The blogging stopped around Hannah's Bday because I wanted to get permission of the girls' families who were at Hannah's party before posting a picture of all the girls. Well, that started to sound WAY too complicated, so I procrastinated and finally gave up.

Today, Hannah and I are home from church because Hannah has a cough that's a bit more "sick" than we liked, so we decided to take it easy today. She is busy watching Larry Boy and the Bad Apple whilst I am up here blogging:) So, since the blogger procrastinated, you get a smorgasbord of pictures from our last couple of months.

Hannah's party went beautifully. She was allowed to invite five girl friends to her party, and they made princess crowns (whew--what was mom thinking?! The girls had a blast, but I allowed way too little time for such a complicated project! Note to self... but the girls did have a good time and enjoyed creating something new:).

Since the rains here spray the vehicles (and everything else) with quite a bit of salt--the kids are getting to be experts at washing the van... ah, and a tail end shot of the Red Beast--finally!!!:)

And, some cute Valentines enjoying their Valentines presents from Mommy and Grandmama and Gampy:)

Better than Boxes

2007-12-28T17:49:00.000-06:00

This bubble post is proving more difficult than I anticipated, but I will persevere, I will triumph! (Remember, it's the little things in life... conquering the computer's blue screen of death and the internet's unbelievable time lag!:) Sorry, back to the post: one of the great gifts this year is BUBBLES! Both sets of grandparents contributed and the kids have found the bubbles to be way more fascinating than boxes--and you know that's pretty good with kids:) Of course another favorite is Nathanael's new Remote Controlled Car... that has proven to be a mouthful for the kids, but Nathanael has mastered the name ('cuz we insisted he say it right before he play with it... mean parents:).

Here, Kitty, kitty!

2007-12-28T17:01:00.000-06:00

We sent a "suggestion" email to our parents (the kids' grandparents) earlier this year with thoughts on gifts for the year. One of the suggestions included a snide comment about a BB Gun for Ryan to take care of all the stray cats in our yard. His parents decided to do something about it:)

What could this be?

Oh Yeah!

Cooool!The cats are so dead! It's a boy thing... it must be!

Funny Attachment

2007-12-28T16:56:00.001-06:00

Huh? So what the heck is that, Thaddeus?

Ohhhhh, I see!

Thaddeus, it goes like this...

NOOOO! Don't eat my dad!!!!

CHRISTmas

2007-12-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

After our wonderfully fun and exhausting evening at church for the Christmas 'Eve service, we sprinkled "Reindeer food" on the driveway then ushered the kids into dreamland with a stern lecture not to go downstairs without first waking mom and dad in the morning. Ryan and I made rolls, cleaned the house (we had invited and uninvited guests arriving on the morrow), settled the mass of presents under the tree--thus the lecture to the children, and finally went to bed.

The kids were kind and waited until after 7am to wake their exhausted parents. We went downstairs and had a quick breakfast, then prayed and reminded the kids Whose Bday this really is. Then began the gifts. The kids did great, we had a wonderful time opening gifts and sharing the day with each other. We help the kids make gifts for each other, and they loved the presents from their siblings. Hannah drew and painted a picture of Lightening McQueen for the boys' room; Nathanael helped Daddy cut out and stain a snowflake for Hannah (who has been rather desperate for snow lately) and a "T" for Thaddeus; Thaddeus made some magnets with animals and Hannah and Nathanael's names. We likewise enjoyed so many other presents from our parents, the kids' grandparents and friends--thank you so much!!!

Ryan was rather surprised by a Navy Torpedoman's Mate coin with his name inscribed on it and though at first confused by the Gorilla Pod Tripod for the camera, once he figured it out, he was thrilled. I figured with all the picture taking he does--especially with setting the camera up for our Christmas pictures, he could use a break with at least the setting up! And, Ryan managed to surprised me this year with a digital frame for our pictures... so exciting!!!! Enjoy the pictures... this may take a couple of posts:)

Our "uninvited guests"--reference our Christmas letter--they have managed to find their way into the microwave and dishwasher as well as in cupboards, behind cabinets, etc. However, one of Ryan's coworker and our down the hill neighbor gave us some bait that seems to be one of the best Christmas gifts this year!:)

Christmas 'Eve Play

2007-12-28T16:12:00.000-06:00

Our church put on a Christmas 'Eve play with the pastor reading the narrative of Luke and Matthew accounts of Jesus' birth while the kids acted out the story. Hilarious! We had two rehearsals and the kids did great. Thaddeus was the donkey (yes, same costume as Harvest Day, but it worked!)--the first rehearsal he wouldn't have anything to do with Mary. The second, he followed Mary and Joseph down the "street" and then circled Joseph on all fours up on stage. During the actual play, he went down the "street" just fine, got on stage, turned around and faced the crowd and saw his babysitter, Becky, who had just come home on break from college, and went down to her. She took him back on stage where he stayed for a short time, til he remembered Becky again, then went back to her. This happened several times. Ryan and I had so much fun watching!

Yes, that is me in the background. A couple of moms were wrangled, err, asked to help with crowd control during the shepherd/towns people scenes:). And, at the beginning, Hannah was entranced by the violinists who played several beautiful pieces for us. Then Nathanael was "going over" the sound equipment with his Sunday School teacher:).

The Bronco Rider Eats Cat!

2007-12-19T14:37:00.000-06:00

Nathanael and Thaddeus have an endearing habit of getting up together and playing with each other in the morning before Mom and Dad are at all ready to wake up (ok, an annoying habit when they decide to play on the Alligator Xylophone--loudly--but we still love them dearly). A couple of mornings ago, they were up playing together when in our misty state of, "oh, I hear the kids, I guess it's morning..." we hear Thaddeus begin the OW! I'M HURT! cry. He makes it to Daddy and really does have a good sized bruise on his temple, right beside his eye. The explanation? Nathanael was giving Thaddeus a piggy-back ride. I asked Thaddeus later (when his owie had turned into yet another black eye) what he hit. In his cute, clear little boy voice, he said, "The bed." Ouch! Nathanael piggy-back rides are no longer on the morning to-do list.

Then today as we were on a quest to find stain for one of Ryan's wood working projects, Thaddeus had us loving life again. Ryan wanted to explain this one...

"There I was driving along drinking my Mt. Dew… really just minding my own business… the kids are in the back seat minding their business--commenting on whatever comes across the synapses. 'Cat,' says Thaddeus (as one is crossing the street in front of the car). 'Eat cat!' says our bright boy. Reference the first sentence and a mouth full of Mt. Dew. We almost had an eruption of Dew in two solid streams from the nasal cavities. Choking... coughing. Driving to the intersection I finally got some bodily function control. Yes, every day has its 'little' events!"

Later, I asked Thaddeus when he would eat cat... he decided it would be a good snack, not breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Laughing...watch out for Thaddeus' visit, Aunt Rachel!

Dancing Belle

2007-12-13T15:29:00.000-06:00

Our dancing ballerina had a wonderful time dressing up and smiling at all the stressed parents in the audience:) The recital went beautifully--very much a joy to see. The dance instructor, Miss Nikki Watson, did a great job pulling this together! Hopefully we'll have the video in the next few weeks or so and can post Hannah's dance at that time.

FIVE!

2007-11-28T15:56:00.000-06:00

Nathanael is now FIVE! Both he and Hannah were proudly announcing the fact of his Bday to everyone we came across yesterday (and today:). Some pictures of the CHOCOLATEY cake and presents follow (thanks Moms and Dads!!!:) Btw, tradition in this Edwards family is that everyone at the bday party gets a gift, not just the bday kid. So, Hannah and Thaddeus were thrilled with her drums and his monkey--what a combo:).

And, here, we see Hannah, the vanquishing Sock Wielder! She whipped Daddy in the eye (ouch!) with a sock--took Daddy down. Then, because she saw how badly that hurt and how that shouldn't happen again, on her own, she drew a sign to indicate to other aspiring children, this should not be attempted at home!

Architect

2007-11-21T05:16:00.000-06:00

These may only be Legos, but I think the thought that went behind them outstanding! (Of course that's just a mother's opinion.) During the boys' nap times, Hannah quietly plays in her room... often with her doll house and/or the box of Legos. Long ago, she left the patterns that come with Legos far behind. These creations are of her own thoughts, design, and making--we come in after nap time to take pictures. Check out the chandelier on the first building. The second is a telescope (I didn't even know Hannah knew what that was, much less that she could say the word!)... later on she stuck white and yellow one-holed Legos on a blue base and stood it up in front of her "telescope" so she could "look at the stars"--yes, the whole "telescope" is hollow--you can see through it. WOW!

Graduate

2007-11-10T03:45:00.000-06:00

He made it! He's home, he graduated from the NCO Academy, and finished his Bachelor of Science Degree!!!! We're thrilled, exhausted, and love having him home!

Eeyore Comparisons

2007-11-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

Found this shot from way back on Harvest Day of 2004... look at how much he's grown!

Our Pumpkins

2007-11-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

Harvest Day went rather well in spite of my misgivings. Portuguese on the Island are invited to join the festivities in base housing, so the gates are shut at 5:30pm for the protection of the children and crowd control... we were advised to take in all decorations, outside toys, etc., so we locked everything in the garage and beat a hasty retreat to the church (Azorean Baptist Church http://www.azoreanbaptistchurch.org/) before the allotted time of gate closure. Maid Marian, Mr. Pilot, and Eeyore had a blast hanging out with their friends at church, dressing up, eating, playing games, and at the end: getting the all important candy! On of the deacons at the church had to make sure we had an extra bag (he tried to give all the kids extra bags of candy!), so we have plenty for oh, the next year or so:). We carved the pumpkins today because we wanted to enjoy them for a couple of days (they'll be piles of mush very soon with the warm weather and ever-present moisture) and we wanted to enjoy them at night, not having to have them inside on "Harvest Day" for fear of vandalism.

A Noisy Dream?

2007-10-30T16:19:00.000-05:00

Tired, weary, and bedraggled this mama drags herself to the blog tonight. I actually went to bed a bit earlier last night--usually a good sign that disaster is ready to strike!

Around 2am this morning, I shot out of bed to the sound of SEVEN screeching smoke detectors in our house. They *BEEPED* two or three times, then all was silent (including the children who slept soundly through the whole ordeal--ironically just a few hours after I watched a news clip sent by my mother-in-law regarding the alarming fact that children usually sleep through fire alarms). Standing in the middle of our room, the house now eerily silent, heart thumping, husband off in a foreign land (again Murphy's law strikes), I pondered what to do. Finally, I figure since the detectors are quiet and I don't smell smoke, I'll check the house. House checked out fine, so did the still sleeping children. Now what? I knew Ryan should be sleeping and I hated to wake him out of the precious little sleep he's been getting at the NCO Academy in Germany; but I figured my folks in Indiana, four hours behind us might still be up.

Well, no such luck, but Mom still answered pretty alertly anyway--thank the Lord for mothers! Mom and Dad suggested I still call the fire department. Sigh. I could just hear the, "Ma'am, you should evacuate the house immediately and wait for the fire department to arrive with sirens wailing through the night." Fortunately, though the dispatcher did want to know if I had seven 9-volt batteries on hand and if I was prepared to install them (HA!), he didn't require me to get the kids out of bed into the rain and wait for the neighbors to peek their head out the bedroom windows wondering which neighbor was foolish enough to burn a pot roast at that time of the night? Anyway, he decided it was probably a battery issue and to take care of it in the morning.

Morning came, I tested the alarm at breakfast and noted for the kids that they had slept through such an ear-ringing performance last night (wide-eyed, they kept eating). All seemed good there. I posted a note to our personal Fire Chief Coach--thanks Coach!:) For some reason in Lajes the phone number for the fire department (other than 911) is the best kept secret--must be national security or something--otherwise I could have called the guys this morning and straightened the whole thing out. No such luck. While waiting for Chief Coach to email back, I chatted with neighbors and friends who thought Maintenance might have the answer.

So, Maintenance was called on the scene. And of course, during nap time. Fortunately, once out, my kids seem to sleep like rocks (thank you, Daddy!!!:), so the noise of the maintenance worker didn't bother them. (However, check out my brother-in-law's October post, *chirp* for a hilarious clip on children vs. adults and the infamous smoke detector: http://mennodaddy.blogspot.com/2004/07/tests-that-started-it-all.html.) The very nice Portuguese gentleman seemed to convey that all was well with the detectors, but that maybe the wattage of the Island and the American-made detectors were not quite compatible and maybe that's what made them take a weird turn in the middle of the morning.

I'm beginning to wonder if I dreamed it all. Oh well, it's the stuff good posts are made from, right?

p.s. Chief Coach did get back to me and directed me to his guru on fire prevention, so I'll have to try that tomorrow. Maybe he'll have me feed a bit of egg to the silly things and they'll be happy from here on out????:)

Happy Birthday Aunt Rachel!

2007-10-24T06:15:00.000-05:00

I told the kids that it was my sister's Birthday today... well, we had to celebrate!!!:) Hope you enjoy Rachel. Btw, the pictures of Thaddeus are of him singing Happy Bday. He got a bit confused (or excited) in the middle and started singing to Nathanael instead of the camera:). We love you and hope you have a great Birthday!

Nathanael's Delight

2007-10-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

This was shot a while back... yes, still catching up. As you watch it--don't blink and keep going to the end. It's a lot of fun to wonder exactly what is going through our boy's mind as he thinks upon the wonder he just witnessed:). And, listen to that Azorean wind as you watch!

Soccer Pictures

2007-10-14T09:07:00.000-05:00

The kids had a great season learning and playing soccer. You could see that Hannah began to understand passing and taking the initiative to go after the ball as she kept playing. Nathanael did pretty good as goalie at the end of the season (especially w/ his "soccer face":). Thank you, coaches, parents, and players who kept this time fun!

It's About Time!

2007-10-10T10:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, so we've been delinquent--it's been quite a couple of months for our family!!! Ryan received the news that he was going to the NCO Academy in Germany (where he is currently)... and the return date just before Thanksgiving is the time his officer package is due, so things were sped up in the world of work, family, school, and officer-packet-land. The kids just finished soccer last week (I'll need to do a separate post just for soccer with a bunch of pictures soon); and they (and Mom) are kept quite busy with the school year.

One of our soccer team's coaches is the Fire Chief here on base, so we managed to finagle a home school trip to the Fire House during Fire Safety Week. And, so here are the pictures... Nathanael really needed to wear his fire uniform; and Thaddeus despised the Fire Dog, Sparky, but soon warmed up to the TRUCKS after Sparky disappeared.

Thaddeus' 2nd Birthday

2007-08-30T05:43:00.000-05:00

The Music of Our Lives

2007-08-10T20:56:00.000-05:00

We're in the States! We received word early Monday morning that Ryan's grandmother, Arlene Edwards, had passed away, so we found ourselves on a plane back to Baltimore Wednesday. After a long and uneventful flight, we arrived at BWI, found our rental car and hotel, crashed for the night and got up early Thursday (still on Azorean time) and drove up to Rhode Island. We plan to drive back to Baltimore on Sunday and fly home to the Azores Monday. Please pray for the family as they honor Grandma's time here on earth and as we all head back home.

Chris and Leah Caron (and Alexis and Grayson) have graciously opened their home to us, and so our kids have been in kid/toy/music heaven as they have cousins and friends, Gram and PopPop, and Aunts and Uncles surrounding them. Legos, sand, and balls have been flying! We had an impromptu music fest with the Caron's tonight, which I know you'll enjoy. Notice our fearless leader and his violin. It's amazing what you remember from 3rd grade!:)

Before we left on our whirlwind trip, the kids finished swimming lessons. Ryan was able to be there for the last day. The highlight was definitely the flight off the diving board into the water for the kids (to my chagrin, their instructor had them in life vests--I've always preferred my kids learn that they can only do so much in the water until they learn to swim and not learn to rely on a safety vest that may not always be there). Hannah jumped into the water without a hitch. Nathanael the day before needed some coaxing and his teacher finally jumped with him. This time, Daddy was there to help!

I was in the baby pool with Thaddeus and happened to look up just in time to watch Nathanael walk the plank....er, the board. He was nervous, and finally Daddy got up on the board with him. Everyone watching in the pool relaxed, Daddy was onboard, all was good. The next moment, faces froze in shock, astonishment, horror as Ryan in a swift, concise movement, scooped Nathanael up and dropped him in the water. Even Nathanael was so little prepared for this air raid, that he made nary a sound as he traveled into the water with a great splash.

Leave it to Ryan to pull it off, though. Nathanael popped back up grinning and wanting to go again. This time, he marched up to and out on the board, then jumped off with no fear and great style. The worst was over and he survived. Now, he was going to live!

Finally, as swimming ended, I graduated. I may be officially called "Soccer Mom" now--complete with the "muddy van diploma." I find it interesting that the first soccer practice I took my kids to was in the rain (and that Ryan conveniently had to work!:). Thaddeus was tickled with the puddle of water forming in the canvas chair I had with us. So much so, he wanted to add to it--I was slightly appalled when looking back, I noticed my littlest precious boy spitting into the puddle in the chair. Not only did he already have plenty of grass and dirt in the chair, we had to add more... um, fluids. Boys bring such an enormous amount of glee and wonder to this mystery of life.

I had to include Nathanael's art work as well. He loved watching Daddy play soccer so much that he drew a picture of he and daddy kicking a soccer ball around (the soccer ball has a happy face, so it must be a good game:).

Both Hannah and Nathanael loved playing soccer (i.e. chase the ball). Hannah loved it so much so that her "infectious giggle" was commented on by other parents; and I noticed at one point that she was so tickled by something in her great chase she was having a hard time running and laughing at the same time.

Dictionary

2007-08-03T16:15:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you're all dying to understand the mind of a two-year-old (ok, close to it). So, here we are with some enlightenment. Alright, alright... we're still just as befuddled as the next parent, but I have formulated a Thaddeus dictionary and thought you'd enjoy!

chă-choo -- bless you
rēē! -- read (he says this with great relish and demand)
tōēē -- toy
ăyŭt! -- yuck
baal -- ball
hĕp -- help
găăărd -- scared
sēt -- sit
wē-ă-wēŏ -- rolly-polly bugs (no clue!:)
(t like sound)-chŭck -- truck
(t like sound)-shash -- trash
nēner -- dinner
lă-ă-lă -- water (again, no clue!)
nī-nī -- good night
pwŭg -- plug (our word for pacifier)
tinkēē -- stinky (dirty diaper)
yă-ū -- love you
mălk -- milk
bŭh-bŭō -- bubble
MINE! -- mine! (It's necessary to loudly enunciate these important words)
bă-bī -- bye-bye
yō -- hello
brōt -- broken
pānt -- spank
bă-ppl -- apple
mŏŏŏŏr -- more
dān -- all done
bă-ēē -- potty
prā-plān! -- airplane
tē-tchŏŏ -- thank you
Nă-nŏl -- Nathanael
Nă-Nă -- Hannah
nă-nă -- banana (his favorite!!!)
Dă-ēē -- Daddy
Mă-mă -- Mama
Tă-dēē -- Thaddeus
nā-nā -- horse (the sound horse makes)
pēēs -- please
tchŏŏ-shŏ -- excuse me (really “excuse you”)
dă -- dog
năō -- No (he must be Portuguese:)
chŏŏ-chŏŏ -- train (the sound, again)

And a couple of cute Hannah/Nathanael words:

hang-a-ber -- hamburger
bre-fast -- breakfast (Hannah’s)

Fancy, Down and Dirty!

2007-07-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

Ryan had an Air Force function to go to, and since we don't often see him decked out in all the USAF glory, I had to take some pictures. Thaddeus saw the camera and wouldn't leave Ryan alone. We finally got some shots of Ryan w/out a kidlet... but these were much better:).

We also had the camera out for the first soccer game of the season. The OSS was short players, so Ryan played goalie and a couple of other positions (notice Ryan in the white shirt right next to the other team's goal in the last picture:). Ryan has another game scheduled for Monday. Please pray for our fearless leader!:) There was a lot of fun to be had, especially the two older kids who determined they were there to play soccer as well. Actually, they were breaking in their gear in preparation for the start of their season next month.

P.S. Thanks to Uncle Chuck's help, I think we finally have the hang of posting pictures--now you can click on the picture itself which will open a new window with a larger view of the picture! Thanks, Chuck!!!

Sprinkles on My Head

2007-07-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

Nathanael came up to me a couple days ago and informed me that he needed sprinkles on his head so he could fly. He informed me while wearing a cape and shortly after watching Disney's Peter Pan movie (then he had to practice, see picture:). Hannah told me today that she wanted to put Tinker Bell in a dish with a lid that had ten small holes in it (small enough, presumably, so Tink couldn't escape), then she would proceed to shake the dish over her head so she could fly. We discussed whether poor Tinker Bell would like to be stuck in a dish without books or a bed or unable to swim or play. Whereupon Hannah declared she would make a small house for Tinker Bell, she would sew a tiny blanket and pillow for her and make a small book with pictures by our resident artist of course. And, Tink would be happy. O, the imagination!

Today is the first day of swimming lessons this year, so here are some pictures to enjoy (no, Hannah's not trying to deck the instructor--she's just swimming w/ her arms!!!!), and a shot of the children held deep within the enchanting world of Calvin and Hobbes (never mind it's Daddy's book--they love it!).

Owies!

2007-07-09T15:02:00.000-05:00

As requested, here is a clearer shot of poor Hannah's eye.... and of our old home (no longer) in Altus, OK. Dear friends of ours back in Altus took a few pictures so we could reminisce. If you look closely, you can see the kids' swing still in the tree--but the house is gone!

Monkey Queen, Popcorn, Cave/Pit, Beach Walk

2007-07-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

What a busy week! We had a lot of fun and some not so fun moments. All were greatly looking forward to the 4th of July (except Thaddeus who didn't really know what "fireworks" were). We decided to take a walk with the kids to get some jitters out early that morning and along the way, stopped at a playground.

Hannah chose to climb around the outside of the slide, bars, etc.--proudly announcing she was a "monkey" (a point which I'll agree with--she's always climbing and is rather good at it). Unfortunately for her, her hands were a bit slippery as she sat on one particular bar. She slipped and swung down face first and hit the bar below her with her cheek bone. OUCH! Tough girl that she is, though, she didn't let go until Daddy was able to pick her up.

Ryan ran home with her (I think he's getting used to this) and put her on ice right away. When I arrived home with the boys, we put Arnica on her cheek and kept icing. She had a nice shiner right away. Even now it looks like I did a pretty funky job of applying blue/green/purple eye makeup on her face. She was very willing to keep her cheek on the ice, though, which I'm sure has helped a lot. She doesn't complain about her eye at all now and only giggles when we put Arnica on her cheek (she claims it tickles:).

Since it gets dark so late here, the fireworks were scheduled to start at 10pm--Whew!--late for kids whose bedtime is 8pm! We tried to get Thaddeus sleep beforehand, but the sandman missed the house. The kids were pinging with excitement! Once the fireworks started Thaddeus was pretty sure he did NOT like the noise, but after Daddy picked him up in his arms and pointed out the neat show, he decided it was pretty neat. He still mentions the "BOOMS!" The big kids loved it of course. Have you ever noticed how fireworks, especially the little crackly ones, sound like popcorn (ok, loud popcorn) popping? I hadn't until this Fourth:). Great Popcorn in the Sky!

The following night, Mom and Dad went on a date and walked along the shore of Porto Martins (a nearby town)--it was relaxing and so peaceful. The weather was perfect, the sunset gorgeous, and the Portuguese company pleasant (though I pointed out about half-way through our walk, we should probably have been saying "Ola" in greeting as we passed our hosts instead of "Hi"... Ryan agreed with me and we continued to say, "Hi!" I guess old habits do die hard).

Then on Friday, we took a family trip to Algar do Carvão (a cave on the Island--more like a deep pit in a volcanic cone). The kids were tickled by all the sights and climbing. We were excited to be able to continue to venture out into our Island.

The following are the pictures of our week, the cave exploration and beach walking. Hope you enjoy!

Lions and Tigers and BEES, oh my!

2007-07-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

We have now discovered Nathanael is NOT allergic to bees. Tough way to find out though.… Most yards in base housing are covered with clover and bees. I didn’t realize my brave boy had taken his shoes off (he’d been playing in water) and was merrily tripping along as nature intended until the bee and he met unexpectedly.

Oh--the howls! Hannah ran home to get Daddy as our neighbors and I held Nathanael and finally removed the stinger. I asked Ryan later what Hannah told him when she found him, he said it was something like, "Mommy wants you to get the toothpaste. There's a BIG emergency! Nathanael was bit by a spider!" Now, to give her credit, I think I did mention that toothpaste is supposed to help w/ bee stings, but her sole directive was to get Daddy. Fortunately, Ryan simply ran to our rescue. He grabbed Nathanael and plunked him in a sink of cold water at home. That seemed to do the trick (that and Daddy's presence:).

Later as he was getting ready for bed, I explained to him when the bee stung him, it hurt Nathanael but the bee died. In typical boy fashion, the crazy boy cheered right up and was tickled by the bee's death--"The bee died!!!" So, in a way, I guess I made him feel better, too. Poor bee.

Cliff Walk

2007-07-02T04:35:00.000-05:00

We were invited to walk down to the cliffs the other day and wow what a view... obviously the photo can only capture so much of what you can see, so here is a taste of one view.

The kids were continuously asking to go closer to the edge... Nathanael's now famous quote 'Mommy, I know myself!' We know our little guy as well so held on to his hand all the more tightly the closer to the edge he got.

The trip down to the cliffs was wonderful... as gravity was helping us move in that direction. We continued to explore and moved further from the beaten path. Finanlly the light bulb came on and we realized that the trip back was not going to be as much fun. Especially as the kids got more and more worn out. Rebecca ended up carrying Hannah for a short portion and I had Thaddeus in the backpack and Nathanael in my arms on my front for the field crossings and the dirt road hill climb. After that Mommy and Daddy were done. Overall it was a wonderful trip and a great opportunity. Best of all it only cost us one sippy cup (Thaddeus wanted to leave a memorial to his visitation somewhere out there.) Hope you all enjoy the photos of the experience.

Some of Our Rock

2007-06-08T11:06:00.000-05:00

We have a wonderful young lady from our church babysitting for us, so Mom was able to get a night away last night and enjoy some island sights by herself. These were taken oh about 3-4 blocks from our home.

This first shot is looking back into "old base housing," the only one with the sun out and the last shot I captured before my camera's batteries died--I'll try to be better prepared next time!:)

This one is an example of the numerous cows on the Island. If you look closely, you'll see the barrels of milk in the midst of the cows. We often see horse drawn carts on the roads with the cart full of these containers. Talk about a wonderful feeling of the past! The other remarkable thing you can see are the stone walls. These walls are sprinkled throughout the entire Island, made of the volcanic rock, which I assume are to keep the cows in or out--though I've seen some cows lazily chewing next to the road, outside the walls as well. I've heard the walls described as "black lace"--appropriate as you can see their delicate lines giving definition to the distant hills.

These next pictures were taken of a "Rock" just off the Island. They don't really do justice to the majesty of the waves and lonely beauty of the sole small island, but I hope you get a taste of the joy we have living so near the water and in this old world where the life moves slowly (except on the roads) but the clouds and weather moves in "fast forward."

Alarm!

2007-05-20T18:31:00.000-05:00

I woke up the other morning to an alarm… this alone is not all that unusual. But this alarm was WAY too early for my usual routine and was coming from a weird location. It finally dawned on me that it was Hannah’s alarm. It was 5:15 in the morning. I went into her room to turn it off and find my eldest son, Nathanael, with his plastic sword in hand waiting patiently for his big sister to wake up. He had decided that he needed a playmate to cure his boredom. Well, Hannah apparently did not wake from the original position of the alarm so he had conveniently posted the alarm directly next to Hannah’s head and had also turned on her light. So as I am walking into this brightly illuminated and loud room I see Hannah still sleeping and Nathanael waving his sword around fighting off whatever imaginary fiends his four year old mind can conceive. He looks at me with his smile and says “Daddy!”… I respond “BED!... NOW!” his smile fades as he exits the room quickly. As I turn out the light and turn off the alarm Hannah simply rolls over and continues to sleep. Man it was nice to be 6 and sleep until the body said it had had enough.

-Ryan

Thaddeus

2007-05-10T16:29:00.000-05:00

Our wonderful son thinks some of the best things in life are ROCKS and "Trash! Trash! Trash!..." which he says in a lisp all the way to the trash with great intent to dump some foreign (or valuable--it doesn't really matter to Thaddeus) object into the receptacle for unwanted, discarded, and wasted products--an absolutely wonderful and glorious container to our son!

He's picked up growling in frustration from the other two siblings and proceeds to do so when Mommy tells him to do something he has a great aversion to at the moment. Or, politely saying "'scuse YOU!" when he burps or creates any other not so nice noise in public. I guess he picked that up from us as we would say "excuse you" to him any time those lovely noises gurgled up in the last several months.

Back to the ROCKS... Thaddeus usually finds one (or several) within the first few moments of stepping outside (we live on an island created by volcanic explosions which resulted lots of ROCKS just for our little boy:). The rocks go everywhere with him, down the slide, into the mouth, on the driveway...not to mention other places like his hair, hat, and the washing machine/dryer. But, honestly, would you want to separate a boy and his ROCKS?

Since we just moved to our beloved Island, an absence of brain cells during the moments of decision-making in moving back in the states caused mom and dad to forgo packing Thaddeus' crib in the shipment of household good that arrives almost simultaneously with you on the Island. So, the youngest up-and-coming Edwards has been subjected to sleeping in his pack 'n play all this time. Up-and-coming is most appropriate, for the young man with his time zones all screwed up did just that--up, over, and out! I don't know how many knocks on the head he has suffered climbing up and launching out of the pack 'n play, but it doesn't seem to faze him in the slightest (darn it! If it did, he might have quit a long time ago and realized, "Hey, it's time to sleep... snore!"). So, mom and dad have the delightful task of following the boy's movements from the time we put him in his crib (upstairs, mind you) until he actually finds the sandman and is out for an undetermined period of time (it would be too easy to leave mom and dad in peace for a known period of time, right?). So, we are constantly on alert.

However, even the most diligent of parents have to sleep sometimes. Yesterday morning was one such a moment... sometime around 5 or 6am--I have a hard time figuring out the hands of the clock in such a sleepy state (Hey! give me a break--I'm still trying to figure out the right time zone!!!:)--I remember as if in a dream, Thaddeus toddling over to my side of the bed, kindly leaving me blessedly alone, simply swiping the flash light I have next to my bed, and leaving. What does any good mom do at this point with a 20 month old awake in the wee hours of the morning upstairs with several other family members sleeping? Go back to sleep, of course!

That is, asleep until I hear the other son wailing in the dark. That woke me from the dream-like trance enough to haul myself into the boys' room where I see Thaddeus perched next to Nathanael on Nathanael's bed (where Nathanael was quietly minding his own dreams, sleeping), shining the bright-as-day flashlight into Nathanael's face. Apparently Thaddeus missed his early morning accomplice that morning and decided to find out where he had gone!

AGHGHGHGHGHGH!

You have to love the cheeky, sweet blonde boy... especially when you 'round the corner into the dining room to find the strawberries you have so lovingly cut up for the boy, and know he'll love, ON his head! What to do?

PRAY LIKE MAD!!!