To Annie, Our Nanny cont...

Here are 2 pictures I took of the boys on my last day.

I am a Soy Latte

At your best, you are: free spirited, down to earth, and relaxed

At your worst, you are: dogmatic and picky

You drink coffee when: you need a pick me up, and green tea isn't cutting it

Your caffeine addiction level: medium

Go to www.blogthings.com/whatkindofcoffeeareyouquiz to find out what kind of coffee you are! :)

To Annie, our Nanny!

Here are some pictures of the story book the Schneidlers made for me of Isaac and Gabe.













To be continued... :)

My Last Day

Last Friday was my last day as a nanny for the Schneidlers. I worked for a few hours in the morning. I made the boys waffles for breakfast and then we went outside and played. Isaac and I played baseball. They have white woofle balls and I throw these to him and he hits them with a plastic bat. Even Gabe has his own little mini plastic bat. It is very cute. Then Isaac rode his bike for a little while and then they went swinging. I took turns pushing both of them on their swings. Then we went inside to get something to drink and Isaac wanted to be read to. As we were about to read Michele came home. I baked Isaac and Gabe some chocolate chip cookies the night before. Because it was a special occasion Michele let them have one before lunch. Andrew then came home for lunch. He has been studying 12 hours a day 7 days a week for the Bar Exam at the end of July. I guess he will have to keep this pace all the way up until the exam. Needless to say he looks really worn out. Eventually the time came for me to say goodbye. Michele and I tried to keep it off for as long as possible. Michele gave me a hug and we both started tearing up. I gave Isaac and Gabe kisses and hugs. I know Isaac didn't realize that I wasn't going to be coming back. Michele and I planned on getting together in a few weeks at a park with Daisy and the boys. Daisy will be out of school soon and she and the boys love playing together. I know she is going to make a great big sister. She is very good around small children. As a gift they made a little story book for me of pictures of the boys. They made it online and it actually looks like a story book. It is so sweet and cute. I am going to miss the boys so much, but I will be seeing them from time to time. And come this September they want me to baby sit for them one evening a week on their date and Bible Study nights. So it is not goodbye, just see you later. I am so thankful for such a wonderful job the Lord gave me. He provided a Christian nanny for them and provided the perfect job for me when I needed it. God is so good!

Restructuring

Well, this will be my last week of work. I got a phone call last week from my boss saying that her part time position she was hoping to work this next year didn't work out. This means that she will be staying home and will no longer need a nanny. I was planning on working for them another year. Rue and I were hoping to use my income to help us buy a house or a condo. Now we have to make other plans. I am really excited for what God has next! Here we had a plan all set out and ready to go and WHAM! it got changed on us. I love how the Lord will close a door and make it clear that that is not the direction He wants you to go in. I told Rue that I didn't feel like we had moved forward or backward. And he said, "No, but we are just restructuring.". I really like that. God is having us restructure so we are more in line with His plan for us. How exciting! I feel so happy that we are in His will. That is the best and safest place to be. The plan for right now is I will just find babysitting jobs where I can and I will also look for a house or two to clean. I am really excited about not having to have a regular job though. I feel like I will finally be able to work at fulfilling the high role God has called me to as a wife and mom. I will be able to take care of my husband and household better because me energy is not divided between work and home. I will get to practice sewing more and be able to practice more with cooking since I won't be rushing to get it done. I am so happy! Lead on Lord! :)

Special Service

This last Sunday we had a Dedication service for the men in our church who are being deployed to Iraq. The three men are in the Army Stryker Brigade. In the top picture you see Sgt. Gabe DeRoo on the left and Spc. Lance Holtgeerts on the right. Also Chaplain Major Joe Riley will also be leaving. They had a special flag folding ceremony where Major Joe Riley explained what each of the folds in the flag represented. Kevin Pemental, who is in the Navy, and Mr. Narlock who is in the Air Force also took part in the ceremony. They each read a passage in the Bible about the Lord's protection. Then the wives of the men were asked to come up.

On the right is Chaplain Major Joe Riley and his wife Linda. In the middle is Sgt. Gabe DeRoo with Hannah (my best friend) and their sweet little baby Gabriel. On the left is Spc. Lance Holtgeerts and his wife Tanya. Our pastor then had all of the veterans who were at the service to come up. There were quite a few. Two of these veterans prayed prayers of special dedication and safety for the men. The men are being deployed for a year. We are so proud of them and their desire to serve their country and fight for freedom. We will be praying for them and their wives every single day.

Dannells Camping Trip #7

Megan and Taraz also came on Sunday. Ruhiyyih didn't tell George and Bonita that they were coming, so it was a big surprise. It was also Georges birthday that day and Daisy's was the next day. That evening, before Ruhiyyih left, Taraz and Megan brought out two birthday cakes for all the birthday people in May. We had such a great camping trip! I can't wait until the next one!

Dannells Camping Trip #6

On Sunday afternoon Ruhiyyih and her friend Brynn stopped by for the afternoon and evening. Ruhiyyih had a flight the next day to go back to D.C. so they couldn't stay the night. Ruhiyyih is so wonderful to be around with her joyful bright personality. She can easily make you laugh. I was so sad to see her go.

Dannells Camping Trip #5

On Sunday we took a really nice leisurely hike. It was a mile and a half and part of it was along the river. It was a nice hike to take after going on such a strenuous hike the day before, but even though it was only a mile and a half we found ourselves pretty tuckered out. We had used up all our energy the day before. But even then this hike was very pretty and had some great little scenery.

George and Bonita took the opportunity to wash off their rubber boots from all the mud on them. Rue I and I were wishing we could do that but then of course our feet would have been soaked. Next time we go camping and we know it is going to rain I am going to buy a pair of good rubber boots.

Dannells Campig Trip #4

One evening when it was raining, all huddled under the canopy over the picnic table and played scrabble. I never had enjoyed playing Scrabble before but George gave me a little tip and I started to get the hang of it. Just this last Thursday night my mom came over and we played a couple games of Scrabble.

Dannells Camping Trip #3

We went on a 7 mile round trip hike up to Lower Lena Lake. The hike was beautiful. Being out in God's creation was so energizing. The hike was very strenuous but I enjoyed the exercise. The view once we got to the top was well worth the climb.