JUST SOME FUN PHOTOS--
have some from the wedding this summer to get up soon too.

Joe, Greta, Hailey, Charles, Cybil, Myron, Mariah, Henry

One of our favorite "african" meals. We ate this, A LOT. Eggs, toast (with homemade apple butter-in Zambia it was homemade rhubarb jelly!), little bacon (usually didn't have that) and a mix of peppers and onions fresh from the garden-fried in plenty of OIL of course!

The little man is getting big!

almost 3 months now-where has the time gone??!!

With my back problems I haven't really been able to do this yet, but I am sure he will grow to love it like Henry did!

We were all looking at some pictures at grandma's lately. It is just interesting how they are all such carbon copies as babies. There were pictures where you could hardly tell which baby was who!

this is something I needed to hear this week

The End of Adoption

(Once he gets to his sales pitch, you can take off. But don't miss the first half.)

they did it!!!!

Saturday was the big day-Cybil & Mariah's 5k. I was not able to run it with them, or even walk it. I was/am pretty disappointed as it was my idea, but oh well, I'll get over it eventually! :)
It was a rainy day, but not too hot or cold. Charles and I were there (trying) to cheer them on. We drove out to the halfway point and then the corner near the end and finally the finish line. I, of course, forgot the camera.
As I said it was rainy and I guess a little slippery. On the one "hill" of the course Cybil slipped and fell down, twisting her ankle some. She pretty much walked the rest of the way. Mariah ran more but dealt with a "stitch" for much of the race.
I am proud of them for doing it. As I said, Charles and I "tried" to cheer them on; but I would get all misty every time I saw them or thought of them doing it, so I couldn't even say much-they got a thumbs up I think. I guess I can blame it on the postpartum hormones!
I wish I had been able to finish helping them train as the last 4 weeks or so was on the honor system of how much they ran vs. walked. I think they did as well as they could without that extra mom-kick in the pants.
I am sure they NEVER want to do that again! But they may just have to so I can have someone to run with next summer when I do my first 5k.

Great job girls!

Projecting Poverty Where It Doesn’t Exist

Great article from Steve Saint--

Projecting Poverty Where It Doesn’t Exist

Anyone would think that having 6 days at home on the couch on your back, you'd be able to catch up with some things (reading, paperwork, etc). Well, it seems not so much. I can barely even tell you what I have been doing the last week.
Thursday morning I had appts with Henry and Charles while Joe had therapy. I decided to carry Charles in his car seat in case there were any "issues" with Henry. Not a good idea. By the time we were leaving I was starting to hurt, BAD. My back, legs were killing. It hurt to walk, I could barely drive, let alone a stick shift; and I still had to pick up Joe and get to a funeral. Well, needless to say I did not make it to the funeral. When I finally made it home with the three boys, Cybil and Mariah practically had to carry me into the house while I cried the whole way. My sciatic nerve had been sore and twitching off and on for a long time, since during pregnancy. Then I started running 3 weeks ago. I am not sure if that had an affect or not, but I am sure it didn't help.
After putting my legs up and resting and a warm bath, I actually didn't feel too bad, thought the worse was over. I made it through the night, but the next morning it was like starting all over again. I went into a chiropractor that morning and she had me back in for another treatment that afternoon. I can't tell you the name of the bones/area that is troublesome, but it's all in the hind end where the sciatic nerve is. Apparently it's one of the 3 bone areas that are affected in childbirth. She said the area was incredibly swollen, and because I am nursing we have to deal with my hormones which seem to be fighting everything I try to get the swelling down.
I do ice 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. I have done some muscle stimulation as well. I have also been to the chiro 2x a day Sat, Mon and will today. She said we may be able to take a day off tomorrow, we'll see what this afternoon holds. Thankfully she only charges by the day, not by the appt so going 2x costs the same as going once.
I almost had Brian take me to the ER on Friday night I was in so much pain (it gets worse before getting better, don't they say?). I did find out I could take a little stronger pain reliever so I made it through the night. It's weird to me that it really isn't even my back that is bugging me. It's all along the nerve path to my foot-my knee hurts, my ankle hurts, my calf feels like there is a charlie there I can't get rid of, but the muscle isn't tight at all. I have been icing my leg some now too. Sitting is pretty tough, driving is a killer. All those things just make the nerve path SCREAM. I actually think it feels worse than labor because it doesn't come and go like contracts-I don't know how long it will last or how to get relief for it.

I was supposed to run a 5K with Cybil and Mariah on October 8th. They are still doing their Couch 2 5K training {or so they say :-) }. I would still really like to run with them, but it's 3 1/2 weeks away and I just don't know if I will have enough time to build up to it (or even when I will be able to start running again). Neither of them are happy about running it in the first place, so since I am the one "making" them do it, I really do want to do it with them. I guess we'll have to wait and see. And as I type that, I know I sound super crazy considering how much pain I have been in for a week!

Anyway, I can't believe how little I have gotten done. I was going to start a book Saturday figuring I would finish it in no time, but I never got to it. I get pretty tired during the day because I wake up in big pain at night and can't get back to sleep (although now I think I know why that was happening and slept pretty good last night). Parenting from the couch isn't the easiest thing either. I know C & M are getting tired of having to do everything. And then there is school. It's just hard to get motivated to do it lying down. Going into town twice a day for appts takes up to an hour as well, and then I gotta rest when I get back. I know, I have it real tough :-). I am still hoping to wake up one morning miraculously healed!

new pics of Charles :-)

for sale

Love seat and couch set. Still in very good condition. Asking $200 for the set.
Can deliver in the area :-)

Here is a close up of the pattern.