things are always changing but don't be sad and blue...

We found this Sesame Street video before we moved overseas to Armenia two/three years ago and thought that it was appropriate for the kids.  Big changes are a comin'.  We went and came back and things have changed a lot, several times!  Coming back to the US was also a big change!  Settling down, new place, new friends...  After two years we had settled in pretty well, just in time to move back to the states!  Heh.

Well now this mama had this song come to mind and I was thinking as much as me as I was of the kids.  We started homeschooling just before we left and have continued through until now.  We've got about a month left of school this year and that will mark three years of homeschooling for the Crawford family!  We'd planned to homeschool while we were overseas and then go back to a Christian school in the states.  But we all ended up liking schooling together that after two years we thought maybe we'd keep it up for a while after we got back...  Now that we're here the kids are all leaning toward heading back to school!  Kev is teaching at the Christian school here in town so we've already been around the school and are getting comfortable with the place...  Hum...

So now I'm thinking, next fall, it might just be lil' old me at home while all my babies are off!  Even little Elijah will be in first grade!  Six years old...  Crazy!  The other day I told Kevin I wonder if I'll freak out or just enjoy a little bit of quiet?  Both?  It'll be a huge change... for me!  :)  For three years I've had four little chickadees stuck to my side coming and going.  In a few months, I could have no one by my side for a large part of the day?!  Strange. Wonder what God has in store next?!

Things are always changing...

Ruth's Rock

Ruth is learning to ride a bike and she's doing great!  When we went to Armenia two years ago she just rode with training wheels and while we were there we didn't have any bikes!  We pulled some bikes out of the garage and off she went!  Crazy!  We're so proud of her!  We all went for a family ride and she just had to practice stopping and turning but she can ride straight pretty easily!

this is her hand making the OK sign...
the rock is on the left below her thumb...

The next morning the kids wanted to ride again at recess time...  Lijah and I were slow to get out and just as I was about to head out in came Ruth holding her hand and crying.  She fell off the bike!  After trying to get her cleaned up, I realized I wasn't going to get the rock out so I called Kev.  He took her to the Walk-In clinic...  they tried and took an X-ray...



Then they sent us to Minot to the doctors there!  They were worried about the bone and tendens/blood vessels!  We drove 2 hours and waited some more...  did all the needles and shots for the numbing.  The first nurse/doctor didn't get it out, either...  the next doctor came and tried to get it, push it, pull it, turn it...  in the end he had to cut a little and dig a little!  Finally...  it's out! He said he just delivered a rock!  Heh.

It's OUT!

What a day!  

Ruth screamed and kicked and said she'd never ride a bike again and that rocks shouldn't be anywhere...  When the rock finally came out she said she didn't even want to LOOK at it...  The next day she was already talking about riding the bike and looking at the rock...  :)

Locks of Love

Hannie grew her hair out and this month she was ready for the chop!  

She had 10/11 inches that she's ready to donate to Locks of Love...

before

After

Such a sweetie!

books

My mom has her own Christian Fiction library of sorts at her house!  And I'm reaping all the benefits!  So since we got back to Williston in January, I've been helping myself.  We are book lovers at our house so it's such a treat to be back where it's easy to find English books!!  As a matter of fact, we're all headed to the public library in a few hours!  Friday tradition!

I think out of these books to your left, I enjoyed the Silent Governess by Klassen and the Marta books by Rivers best!  But the were all good...  Right now I'm reading one by Susan Meissner.  She wrote The Shape of Mercy and I read that one before we went to Armenia...  she weaves the past and the present together...  kind cool!

Alrighty!  I'm off to finish schooling stuff!  But maybe I'll try to read a page or two, first...  ;)  Happy reading!