It's 2020!

...so let's wrap up the final month of 2019. I think I left off after a busy first few days of December. It was followed by some more eventful days.

Friday night we got to see Grandpa and Grandma Schulz again! Grandpa got a kick out of Joanna trying to ride the toy tractor. 

Saturday we headed to Peoria to celebrate Christmas with my dad's family and Grandma Knobloch! Here are all the great-grandchildren (sorry for the blurry picture)!

Joanna modeling Levi''s new safety goggles that came in a tool set he got from Grandma.

That night, Andrew, Hannah, and Rebecca came over to install the trim on our egress windows downstairs.

Sunday was Burlington Church Christmas caroling, and we were in charge of arranging the caroling portion of the evening.

Monday was our first of ten foster care classes. Talk about finding ways to make our schedule more hectic...adding in Monday evening plans from 5:30-9:30 was a crazy idea.

Me and the three kids brought the two cats up to the vet to get their shots. Corralling three little children and two terrified cats into the van to the vet was another wild idea, but I couldn't think of another way to get the job done. Snowbell got weighed and then just sat on the scale until Dr. Seth pulled him off. Ash hid in the back of the closet the entire time until Levi pulled her out by her ears. I think the nurse was quite impressed by how gently our cats are treated by the children.

Making more use of Levi's new tools, breaking up insulation leftover from the windows.

With some imagination we found a way to clean up the bits of insulation laying everywhere afterward. Credits to the best Daddy ever. 

Wednesday evening we sang for Norm and Maryann Frank before church. Friday evening was our Young Couples Christmas dinner. Saturday Zach came over to help Matt out for the day and they finished the egress windows!

I also might add that one random night Joanna puked and a few nights later Levi also threw up several times. At one point Matt was certain he had contracted strep throat a third time, but we fought it off with vitamins and ACV treatments. Lest you think we were totally healthy for the whole month of December.

Sunday were the Burlington and Mediapolis church Christmas programs. Monday was class night again. Tuesday we enjoyed singing for Uncle Al and his family at hospice. Wednesday evening we got to hear the testimonies of Ray and Alice D. and were thankful to welcome them into our Burlington church family.

Almost at Christmas now. Friday the 20th was the Myron Schulz Christmas at the fellowship center. Saturday we attended Uncle Al's visitation and then the Joan (Ed) Lanz Christmas at Grandma's with somewhere around 150-175 in attendance. 

New fuzzy socks!

Myron Schulz family: A. Janette, U. Roger, A. Peggy, Dad (Gary), A. Lorna; Grandpa and Grandma in front

Grandpa and Grandma surrounded by their grandchildren and great-grandchildren! I think Eric, Brianna, and Lucas were the only ones gone, but I could have missed someone else.

A few Schulz girls:) Joanna, Adriana, and Rebecca

Adrienne and Joanna entertaining us at Grandma Lanz's

Snack time at Lanz Christmas! I didn't realize until after this picture that Micah has like five cookies on his plate. He got really sad when he learned that all those cookies had sugar in them. Because, of course, he is well aware that "Sugar makes me get sick. If I eat sugar, then I will get sick. And if I don't eat sugar, then I won't get sick!"

This girl never misses out on food!

Sunday the 22nd we spent at Mediapolis church and attended Uncle Al's funeral in the afternoon. We went from there to Massner caroling for the evening. 

Monday was class again. Tuesday, Matt came home early and we had our family Christmas. We made ice cream, ate supper, opened gifts, ate the ice cream, and that was about the extent of it. 

The boys seemed to think the ice cream maker was really loud...

Ready for gifts! My minimalist overhaul found its way into Christmas this year. I didn't want to get them anything that wasn't wearable or disposable...and they are all young enough that the funnest part is just opening the presents! :) One of Joanna's gifts was a box of blown up balloons! Micah's favorite was a new pair of church shoes. Levi got a storybook that he was excited about.

Levi got a dot-to-dot book that he loved!

Wednesday morning we went to church and spent the rest of the day at Mom and Dad Schulz's with Matt's family. Festivities included lunch and supper, outdoor kickball due to the spring weather, a nativity play, and a gift exchange. 

It's not too often we get to see this kind of outdoor play on Christmas day!

Kickball!

Who knew boys could have so much fun together?!

A few pics from the nativity play...

Rebecca got to be the baby!

The angel dance...

Levi and Garret were wise men.

Our cowboy and pilot!

Three cowboys...Micah, Abram, and Weston

And...Matt, my deer.

The older grandkids all got pajamas from Grandpa and Grandma! 

Corbin gave Levi a Lite Brite that he loved!

A new workbench gave the boys and Daddy some good bonding time. 

Friday was Matt's day off so I went to town for groceries and then we went to Andrew and Hannah's for supper to spend the evening with Steve and Julie! Everyone else there had been feeling sick in the past day or two. Somehow we still have not caught whatever went around. Maybe our family already caught every bug there was to catch over the last two and a half months and now we can just have a healthy winter from here on out. :)

Saturday was my family's Christmas at Mom and Dad's...another day full of family and tradition!

The annual Christmas table photo! I think this is the first year that none of our children were napping during lunch. 

LEGO creations from G & G Massner

Micah's fire truck!

After Christmasing ourselves out, we were ready to crash. I feel like that is the summary statement in all my blog posts these days. I'm ready to crash...then I get all my pieces picked back up and put back together just in time for another marathon. Maybe I should say we were ready for a break. We joined a very small gathering at Burlington Church on Sunday, then spent the evening at home. Monday evening we had our evening class again. Tuesday evening we welcomed in the new decade by going to bed early and watching our eyelids drop.

Our first outing of the new year was to Norman Frank's visitation. Friday night we returned to Lunnings Chapel for Dean Massner's visitation. And people wonder why my kids are playing funeral all the time. We made the most of our trip to Burlington and got groceries as well. 

Matt was in charge of the funeral singing on Saturday, so he attended the funeral and I listened from home with the children. It was a nice funeral. Unfortunately, the speaker in the assembly wasn't working which created another disaster. They were able to rent a speaker for the funeral, and then Matt returned to town later in the afternoon to meet with a guy and get the problem fixed. We spent Sunday at Mediapolis church to help Mom serve lunch. 

Then this week happened. My details are getting boring but we finally have had three nights in a row without plans. It's been great.

This girl called me into her room after her nap to show me her new trick! If one pacifier is good, two must be better! 

I ordered some sprouted wheat flour to try making my own sprouted bread rather than buying the sprouted grain bread at Aldi. It turned out well but I don't think we saved ourselves any money (or time!). I was excited about it though. :)

A sweet boy giving the dolly a nap.

Last night we were thrilled to hear the news of a new baby cousin for our children and my first flesh-and-blood nibling! Russell was born to Bill & Vienna and we can't wait to meet him in person!

Sweet Little Guy:)

We hope this new year finds you blessed and seeking God's grace in whatever may come. It is amazing to look back at how far we have come in a decade and to wonder what God has in store between now and 2030! If all goes smoothly, we will already be into the teen years of parenting by then. Hopefully time goes by slowly! These sweet moments with our little ones will only be memories by then.

Foster Care

We have begun our training and certification process to become foster parents. People have been interested in hearing about how this new adventure came to be, so I will try to share in a semi-condensed way.

Foster care is something that has been on our hearts since before we had children. We then had three back-to-back pregnancies and didn't have the time to commit to the classes until now. We only know a couple families who foster and we do not have much experience with the system, so it is pretty unfamiliar territory to us.

This summer, the topic of adoption came up between the two of us. Welcoming other children into our home and family has long been a calling of mine. We both decided this probably wasn't a good time, even if it was something we might like to do someday.

Toward the beginning of September, we had a few different conversations with people where adoption came up. One story that really hit home was one of a family who found out they were expecting another child just a week after adopting a baby. One Sunday I felt the Spirit speaking and placing the burden on my heart to pray about moving forward with something in this direction. I prayed some more and then talked to Matt. After more prayer, scripture searching, and research, we felt like God was directing us in the direction of foster care.

To be honest, foster care always sounded (and still sounds) scary to us - this decision was difficult because we wanted to be wise about how this was going to affect our children. It could be harmful to them if we aren't careful. At the same time, we are beginning to consider the other side- that this is a huge opportunity for spiritual growth in our children as they will learn to appreciate the blessings God has given them and experience the joy of serving others and living out the gospel for others. But, yes, we have our share of fears. A scripture that really spoke to me was one that was equally comforting when I had my proposal six years ago and was very fearful about what lay ahead:

I John 4:4, 7-8, 11-13, 16-21

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 

We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

God continued to provide his reassurance to us by revealing to us through the scriptures that it is His will for us to serve Him by serving others. This one was especially meaningful:

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:34-40

The Process: We submitted an inquiry online for more information and then moved forward through an online orientation, an initial stack of paperwork, and signing up for classes. We also started getting our house ready to meet safety specs for foster care. The biggest project was installing the egress windows, but we also have been working on a lot of other little things, like locking up our guns and  ammo, door alarms (because we have an unfenced pond), etc. And then we got another stack of paperwork. And then another at our first class. I think the worst of the paperwork is over as far as this initial class/home study goes. The TIPS-MAPP training class is on Monday nights in Burlington for ten weeks. Our home study will also take place during the next few months.

After two weeks of class, I am feeling more of the weight of this undertaking. We knew we were going into this rather clueless. While we still feel peaceful about this being what God is calling us to do, I am also realizing that we are inviting a lot of grief, loss, and vulnerability into our hearts. We cannot reach out to brokenness without being broken ourselves. It would be easy to stop at any time and crawl back into our comfortable, predictable lives...but we know we will miss out on much spiritual growth and other blessings if we don't go forward in faith.

Our hearts have always ached for children in broken families and poor home environments. We both love children, and we have been given so many blessings in our lives: a stable home, marriage, and family; good health, a wonderful support system, a close church family, all of the material goods we need, a large home; and - most of all - a hope we have found in Christ. God doesn't glorify the comfortable life; He calls us to love Him by serving those in need. We are humbled and thankful for this opportunity.

We don't really know what lies ahead for us. The break in having children provided a good opportunity to get certified, but we will be prayerful about when and who God wants us to foster. Perhaps we will only be available for respite care if we become pregnant again or the time isn't right. Maybe short-term, maybe long-term, maybe a child who ends up becoming a permanent part of our family. Maybe God is just using this step to bring us to something greater. We really don't know. Hopefully our lack of a plan of our own will be a good thing. :)

Most of all, we ask for all of your support and prayers for wisdom. It will be a big undertaking for us, but we also know that our potential foster children will need the support and loving arms of all of our family and friends. So thank you all for your support.

Anyone with foster care experience who has wisdom to share, please reach out to us!

Have a blessed week!

Thankful for Health

We are so excited to welcome in the month of December as we prepare to celebrate Christ's birth! We've got the Christmas music on, the decor up, and our paper chain countdown to Jesus's birthday is underway. 

But first, we will backtrack to where we left off.

On the first Thursday of November, the Hartter children spent the day at our house while Seth and Brenda went on a getaway and shopping trip. The children all had a lot of fun playing together and the day went well!

Going on a nature hunt (Shadrach was great at entertaining the younger ones!)

Lunch time!

Matt cleaned out the garage that weekend. Levi decided his car needed some engine work. 

The next week, Matt and I went up to Minneapolis with some coworkers (and Phil and Kelli) for an engineering conference. It was a very welcome reprieve as I was still feeling really burnt out from everybody being sick for the past month. Even though I didn't see Matt at all during the days, we still got a lot more quality time together than we would ever get at home! Kelli and I spent Tuesday at the Mall of America with two ladies from Lester, and Wednesday afternoon the two of us went shopping in Eagen. A highlight of the trip for me was the amazing restaurants we visited for supper! I love good food (especially when I don't have to cook)! 

Meanwhile, our children stayed with my parents for the week. Tuesday night, Levi threw up several times between midnight and six. My poor mother. I think they all had a fun week overall though. 

We came home Thursday night and it was so good to see the kids again! Friday evening, Joanna threw up twice. Then Micah got strange spots all over his face (still unexplained, though he has always been our rashy child so it was probably just his way of getting the flu). And Saturday morning, he threw up too. So...I guess you could say we were back to the daily grind. :)

Everyone was feeling better on Sunday, so we didn't have to miss church another time. Then on Tuesday after work, Matt went to urgent care and got diagnosed with strep throat again. I kept overdosing on vitamins and apple cider vinegar (a new one I learned about) and was once again able to narrowly escape getting it myself. 

A big pile of leaves!!

 

Thursday morning, we went to Baby Joy at Prairie Ridge and then to Brooke's for lunch. Friday evening, we had young couples hosted by Jordan and Julia at Jeff and Monti's.

The boys loved driving this thing around in their basement!

I spent Saturday getting groceries and doing some baking for church serving on Sunday. Saturday night, we went out to eat with Mom and Dad Schulz and then spent the rest of the evening at their place while Matt helped Dad out with his new computer. 

Grandma got a new llama costume that was perfect for Levi!

Sunday I served lunch at church and we were thankful to have several from my family there with us! That evening was my family's Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's. Wednesday morning Levi threw up again, so he and I spent the evening at home together while Matt took the other two to his mom and dad's for the Myron Schulz family Thanksgiving. Levi was actually acting fine by lunchtime, but I didn't want to take any chances. So Thursday we all headed back to church for the Thanksgiving service.

Since Thanksgiving morning at church felt so much like a Sunday, we came home and had "church lunch" - I still had leftovers from Sunday. The boys thought it was great! :) 

Thursday evening a small group of Lanz family gathered at U. Keith and A. Tonya's for Thanksgiving. It was kind of relaxing to have a smaller crowd than normal! By "small" I mean 33 people as opposed to the potential 175ish.

Friday we were home bound as I had to get my house cleaned for company. Saturday noon we attended the Adolph Massner family reunion. We went home and promptly headed back out to Burlington, where we saw the lighted holiday parade (first time we have made it since we've been married). The children loved it! We went to Pizza Hut afterward with some family, then got groceries. 

All of the oldest Massner generation in attendance. Back: U. Harold, A. Rosie, U. Dick, A. Bert, A. Norma. Front: A. Barb, U. Bill, U. Allen, A. Dorothy, A. Ada. We were missing A. Annette, A. Betty, U. Lloyd & A. Mary, U. Dale, and Grandma (Phyllis).

Sunday evening, we hosted the Burlington church for a Christmas singing in our basement. We had a great turnout - about 70 in attendance. It was a very blessed evening to welcome in the Christmas spirit!

I spent Monday and Tuesday on the phone arranging the Burlington Christmas caroling schedule for this coming Sunday.

Tuesday evening we hosted Vienna's baby shower. Everything went very well and we had a good turnout!

We are thankful to report that everyone has been relatively healthy for eight consecutive days now, save runny noses and coughing. With no more major events going on, it has been nice to he able to give my children more of my attention.

Playing "ice cream store"!

Now I am ready to crash! That is, enjoy the holidays without any responsibilities besides making food and showing up. :) Have a blessed Christmas season!

Seasonal Mix

Snow has stuck to the ground...November has arrived...and I am almost done with our Christmas shopping so I can sit back and enjoy the holidays. Well..enjoy them anyway. I don't think there's going to be much "sitting back" going on anytime before 2020.

October was kind of an exhausting blur. Everyone except Mama took their turns being sick, so that kind of consumed a few weeks. Levi started with a fever, sore throat, and achiness for a few days. Then when he was feeling better, Joanna and Micah got fevers and stomach aches. 

The second Saturday of the month, people were seeming relatively healthy so the kids and I took up my dad's last minute invitation to attend the ABB safety day in Burlington (it was a cold day and it wasn't looking like a very promising turnout). The children loved their day there!

Trying to make Daddy jealous for staying home...got to see a Tesla and watch it in action! 

All kinds of fun on the bouncy toys!

Micah and Joanna got fevers that night that stuck around on Sunday, so we stayed home from church. We had to get out of the house that night so we went on a walk. It was getting cold outside and all three children with their big winter coats on made for a cozy fit in the one-person stroller!

Micah and Joanna felt better for a day or two and then started complaining about their ears. I took Micah to the doctor on Tuesday and Joanna on Wednesday and they both had ear infections. I can finally breathe now that we have officially had our first need for antibiotics since becoming parents. We have been blessed beyond measure with healthy children! 

Daddy's audience

??

Matt is the best Daddy. His lap is getting full and there are lots of wiggles going on! But it is such a joy to fill their hearts with the story of Jesus!  

Everyone was on the mend in time for Matt and I to leave on a two-day getaway to celebrate our sixth anniversary! We went to Peoria this year and spent two nights at an Airbnb house. On our way over on Thursday we ate lunch at GOOD - the new restaurant in Burlington. It was SO delicious and such a fun place! 

We got checked in to our house in Peoria, ate supper at a spaghetti house, then went and had a nice visit with Grandma Knobloch at the Skylines! On Friday, we entertained ourselves at the Riverfront Museum. 

The cozy little house!

By the time we were done at the museum, Matt wasn't feeling very well. We went back to the house and rested a bit, ate supper at a Mexican restaurant, and then went to Morton for the first part of the Cultivating Connections marriage conference at the church. We returned on Saturday morning and enjoyed each of the messages we heard. It was such a nice chance to reflect and focus on our marriage away from the busyness of our life at home! The fellowship with people from other churches was another blessing.

Mom and Dad Schulz cared for the children while we were gone and were kind enough to let us stay for supper when we got back! By the time we got home, Matt was starting to suspect he might have strep throat, so we decided to spend our anniversary on Sunday morning together at Quick Care. Mom and Dad were kind enough to take our children once again. Matt got his medicine and then went home and rested while I spent the rest of the day in church with the kids. 

So, we spent our sixth anniversary with a sick Matt curled up on the couch. I finally had an emotional meltdown as the exhaustion of dealing with sick people and the disappointment of more sickness on our trip and anniversary all came crashing down on me. Yeah, it was the least romantic anniversary we have ever had.

We did redeem our time on Sunday evening by reenacting our wedding for our kids. I put on my wedding dress (I was planning to wear it to church, but then I didn't want to wear it to the doctor or to church without my husband), Matt put on his suit jacket and draped his tie around his neck, and we played our wedding sermon. We even had a "reception" and then showed the kids pictures from our honeymoon while they ate their snack!

Matt slept in Monday morning and ate breakfast with us before going to work.

Our 1-2-3 kids. I needed to make sure I got this fun age stage on camera.

...and, what do you know?! It adds up to 6, which is how many years we have now been married! (In case it is not all the way clear, THIS IS NOT A BABY ANNOUNCEMENT. I got myself into trouble with both families for sending this clever picture out.) :)

I spent the rest of the week waiting to wake up with strep throat...and by some miracle it never happened! Thus ended our two weeks of sickness and we have been able to return to a functioning lifestyle.

Grandma Knobloch sent home this cap for the kids (I think it was supposed to be for Joanna but the boys liked it, too)!

"Hat" is one of the words she is able to say. She loved it! 

So...we finally decided we were healthy enough to meet our new niece and cousin, little Rebecca Karen! Andrew and Hannah's baby was born the night we got home from our trip. She is a sweetie!

I love this picture:)

Hopefully these little girl cousins will be good friends!

That day (Thursday), the guys showed up to cut holes for our egress windows! Matt took the day off work so he could be there. All of the supplies showed up right afterwards so he was busy the rest of the day getting the wells put in!

The kids loved their new tunnel!

On Saturday, Andrew (yes, the exhausted but kindhearted new daddy) spent most of the day helping Matt put in the windows!

Meanwhile, the kids kept busy "mixing their eggwhites." Whatever keeps them occupied... (it was water, by the way.)

Hannah and Rebecca came over for a bit so we got to see them again! (Levi was extremely amused at the rumbles he was feeling from her diaper when he held her.) :)

Matt, Andrew, and Zach then ran on over to Peoria for the rest of the afternoon and evening to go car shopping. They were successful at finding a new car for Andrew and Hannah! I spent the evening cleaning up the window mess in the basement bedrooms and putting the kids to bed early.

A few days later...SNOW! On October 29th. I love the delight in a young child at their first sight of snow! Micah was absolutely THRILLED. Once I put on his boots, he went out and started jumping all over!

Micah and Joanna were in awe!

We got all bundled up and pulled the sled around outside.

Even got a little snowman built before it melted!

Thursday, we went to story time at the library. Friday evening we went to the nursing home singing. Saturday the boys went to Mom and Dad Schulz's for the day while Matt and Dad went to help Grandpa Schulz. Joanna and I went to a baby shower and then spent a quiet afternoon at home. The boys got home just in time to race through supper and run off to testimonies at Mediapolis. Once we were able to settle down and focus on the evening, the testimonies were such a blessing! It was refreshing to hear the testimonies of three souls who the Lord never gave up on! Praise God! On Sunday, we attended Mediapolis church in the afternoon for the baptisms, and then went home and crashed for a couple hours before going back to Burlington for the singing.

Joanna must be a girl. She loves accessories...hats, shoes, and now she has glasses too!

Monday I felt like doing zero housework, and it showed by bedtime. 

We decided to paint our last few pumpkins instead of cooking them! Paint is so stressful with children. It went pretty well though.

Matt had to finish the project they were working on at Grandma and Grandpa's, so we brought the kids and we spent the evening inside with them. 

Quote of the evening:
Micah: I'm going to Iowa City.
Grandpa: Iowa City?! What do you know about Iowa City?
Micah: Oh, it's by Jerusalem.
(He must have picked up on that word from his Bible stories!)

Have a blessed week!