The Real Milestones of Childhood

We've all read the books and dutifully written down (for at least the first child) when our babies got their first tooth, took their first step, said their first word.  (Dada? Really? Who's the one at your beck and call 24/7? Hint: It's not Dada.) But those aren't the milestones that stand out the most in my mind. Here are my Top Ten from birth to early teen.

1. Able to Grab Toy Intentionally - "Look! He grabbed the toy! All the money we spent on dangling toys over his chairs, swings, strollers and car seats is worth it!" (Weeps the last of the post-partum tears out of red, sleep deprived eyes.)

2. Can Hold Bottle/Sippy - "Stop crying honey, we'll be there soon, I know you hate your car seat. Here, look, bottle! You love bottle! Milk!" (Car fills with quiet sound of child learning to go to food to sooth their raw emotions. Parenting win? Whatever. It's quiet.)

3. Speaks Clearly Enough for Strangers to Understand - "Want cookie!" "Did you hear that? She wants a cookie. She wants a cookie! Even the nursery workers at church will know why she's crying. What about a delicious veggie puff, Darling?" "WANT COOKIE!"

4. Potty Trains at Night - This one is probably in the books too, but, oh my goodness, it is a beautiful thing. "Mommy, I need to pee." Groggy, but enchanted, mommy escorts darling to potty, then back to bed. Life is beautiful.

5. Sleeps All Night - "She slept all night! All night!! It does happen!" For mine, it was in this order listed above, but it happened! All night! Do you understand how amazing that is? How world changing? I can do this parenting thing. I've got it!

6. Can Read Own Books - "Oh, you want to read Green Eggs and Ham? Again? Really? Well, read it. I've got to finish supper." Car rides now include a basket full of books to go with all the toys and food, but who cares!

7.  Can Buckle and Unbuckle Independently - "Get in the car, kids. It's time to go. Everyone buckled up? (click, click, shuffle, click) All right! We're off!" This, my friends, this is freedom. It is life-changing.

8. Can Ride Bike/Walk to Desired Destination - "You want to go play with Jim and Sally? Fine. Have fun. I'll just be here with this book and cup of tea. Grab the mail while you're out there."

9. Can Mow the Yard - "Look, the lawn needs to be mown. Again. Have fun. Mommy loves you."

10. Is Bigger Than Mommy - "Wait, why am I pushing this heavy cart around? Why am I carrying this giant bag of chicken feed? You are taller, heavier and stronger than I am! It is officially not my job." Freedom!!

I look forward to future milestones. I'm assuming that Able to Wake Self Up and Get Ready and Able to Drive Car will be significant in my future list. It'll be a while, though. I'm just enjoying what I've got for now. One day, they'll hit that big Moves Out of House milestone, and I'm still not emotionally stable enough for that one. I need milk and a cookie.

Thoughts on Storms and Shelter

 Our family is preparing for the onslaught of Tropical Storm Hermine (not to be confused with the storm from '98 by the same name). Because we're officially Floridians now, we're preparing by...changing our swimming plans, really. That's about it.

I was always so impressed as a child when I saw the pictures of Tropical Storms on radar, and I know they can be serious sometimes, but our experiences thus far have been underwhelming. Last year, Tropical Storm Colin actually had less rain the month preceding it, and the wind around our area was hardly recognizable as wind to Midwestern snobs like us.

I have friends who have lost homes in Hurricanes in the past - brutes like Andrew and the like - but that is not something we've had to deal with yet. So far I'll still take hurricanes over tornadoes any day. I like the week of warning we get before the landfall of major storms.

Which brings me to my wider point, really. I can't help but draw a direct correlation between the storms around me, and the storms in my own life and the lives of people I love. Sometimes they come like a tornado, and we're stunned, swept away, our lives destroyed in an instant of panic, and then it's over - the sudden death of a love one, an accident, a disaster.

Other storms send out warning clouds - a diagnosis, a failing marriage. The pressure changes; the air blows from a new direction. You know the storm is coming, and you know it won't pass quickly. It may blow itself out and be nothing but a gentle rain by the time you feel its wrath, or it may blow up into something that takes away everything you love, drowning your previous existence in floods of tears.

In either case, the tornado or the hurricane, we do not have the strength to survive that storm alone. We cannot, by sheer willpower, stand outside and curse the wind and keep our footing. They are forces beyond our strength, and it doesn't matter how stubborn, certain, or courageous we are.

As Christians, we don't have to stand alone through these disasters. I think we forget. We try to prepare ourselves by pushing away our fears and swallowing our grief and being "tough", being "survivors". We do not have to be the strong one. We do not have to stand out and face the storm alone. We must run for shelter if we are to survive.

Christ is our shelter. He will hold us through the storm: either by keeping our heart in his hands, and carrying us through the rubble when it's over, or by taking us home to be with Him, where storms will no longer rage, and there is perfect peace.

We watch the storms approach, knowing we have a haven - knowing we don't have to be strong -
and there is rest there.

Visitors Make Us Happy

Walking at the Blue Run

We were excited to have family visit last week and tried to show them our favorite parts of Florida in a whirlwind tour.

My young nephew, "Blaze", got to taste honeysuckle, see a couple baby alligators and a racoon, walk much longer than any three-year-old could ever want, and eat two bites of a hamburger at a restaurant by the Rainbow River. Food is so boring, and there are always better things to do.

We went to I-TEC and visited Aaron, who is busy training some  missionaries with the UAV's. They did flight tests on a few new ones yesterday, and there were no crashes, which is always a big relief. Every crash teaches them something new about what works well and what shouldn't be replicated, but it's still hard to watch all that time and effort crash into a tree or, worse, get lost forever in the Cross-Florida Greenway.

After lunch we swam at the headsprings of the Rainbow River. The water there is a brisk 72 degrees year round, which means this Mama just watches from the dock while the kids do their imitations of polar seals. They have fun; I have fun. It's a win-win. Blaze enjoyed it, but the cold was finally too much, and his parents wisely pulled him out when his teeth were chattering too much to carry on a coherent conversation.

Honeysuckle!

Look at the bottom center for the baby gator.

The moral of the story is: Come to central Florida! We have cool stuff to show you, and we like visitors!

Best water for goggles ever!

A bandit checks out his next mark.

Mostly Sunny and Lots of Chlorphyll

Spring, otherwise known as Summer- Part One, is beautiful here in central Florida. There is so much green! I've even been able to grow a successful garden, thanks to the raised bed installed by the previous residents. The kids have been swimming for a month now (off and on, you understand), and our jackets are hanging forlorn behind the laundry room door.

Well, that's not quite true. I still use my jackets regularly, but it's only because the stores around here believe, I mean BELIEVE, in air conditioning. It's like they want you to forget you live in Florida when you enter a Wal-Mart. We keep our house a comfy 78-80 degrees, and one of our cars doesn't even have a working air conditioner, so church, stores and medical offices are always a shock.

Our aquaponics tanks are still filling and draining just as they're supposed to, and the plants are all growing well. Again, I have to say that's not quite true. The kale was a miserable failure, but Aaron won't let me pull all the plants out because the tilapia like to eat it, even if no human ever will. The problem is aphids. Those little beggars have just infested our kale. They love it like I love brownies. To each his own, I guess. Maybe I should go stick a brownie in the kale bed and see if they'll move to that...

A rotten tree was casting too much shade on the grow beds, so Aaron Bunyan and the trust I-TEC chainsaw felled the beast. It is currently dismembered in the backyard, some sections stacked neatly as if we'll ever need firewood again, and the rest making a cozy home for wasps. I know this because the kids were supposed to stack the rest yesterday, and the wasps provided a convincing reason for them to leave it alone.

Aaron and his colleagues are working every day toward the goal of getting their UAV's out into the world. They are doing training, fine-tuning the processes, and thinking about how the planes themselves could be changed for the climates or requirements of their future homes. They've only lost one so far. It was eaten by the trees and brush of the Cross-Florida Greenway, and might require a family hiking trip with binoculars to track.

 

Splish, Splash, Zoom!

We have a fun new project going at our house. It serves as science experiment, grocery investment, and possibly a way to help people in other places someday if we can get it all working well, and do a little experimentation.


Aaron has been interested in Aquaponics for a while now, and he has spent the spring finding and preparing his grow beds and fish tanks.


We don't have any tilapia yet, but will soon because we finally got some nitrates to show up last night in the water, which means the nutrient cycle is working just the way it's supposed to.

Our two grow beds are named Lydia and Lizzy. (Lydia is a little more persnickety and high maintenance. Jane Austen fans will get it.) They constantly fill and drain using the water from the tanks which contains lots of lovely fish...nutrients.

The water tanks are Legolas Gimli. (Yes, Gimli is the short one.) The Tilapia will be in the back porch in Legolas in an effort to keep the pesky raccoons from treating them like a freshwater buffet.

We've planted quite a variety of plants in the girls, and the warriors are currently protecting the Merry Minnows, but should have some Tilapia to guard soon.

Everything else is going about the same as ever. Aaron is working on the UAV's, getting the instructions and tutorials ready for the first training sessions and the day when they will finally get the planes out into field. The kids and I are schooling, living, cleaning and generally loving Florida, but missing loved ones. In the following picture, they are having Art Class with Ms. Mercy, one of our Grandma-away-from-Grandmas. They love it, and she does such a good job with them. Oh, and I get to use her computer/internet. Everyone's a winner. Except maybe Ms. Mercy, but she claims to enjoy it too.

We still don't have internet, but I...I will survive! (You have to imagine the tune for that last part.)

 

 

 

Working, Living, and Loving the Weather

Once again, it's been too long since I've been able to write anything here, and I apologize. AT&T, though, has to bear at least as much of the blame as I do. We still do not have internet, despite a few false hopes we've been given throughout the months. It's very frustrating. I had planned several things for this year that are simply not working, since I don't have regular access. There are several friends who have been very generous and allowed us to use their wi-fi, for which I am very grateful.

Right not, for instance, we are at Mrs. H's house. The kids are taking art classes from her, which is wonderful. They've painted, drawn, shaped clay, and more. It's so nice to have friends who can fill in the gaps of my teaching skillset. She is patient with them, and a great teacher. She had nine kids of her own, so that explains a lot.

We've also been able to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Florida winter. The produce stands here run year-round. It has made cooking and providing healthy options for the family ten times easier. Although it was freezing cold (OK, almost freezing) when the kids did the "Marathon" in Ocala last weekend, most days have been wonderful, and the kids still wear t-shirts and shorts. Compared to this time last year when we were parked in our RV next to the frozen Chesapeake Bay, even the marathon was positively balmy.

In fact, a couple weeks ago we went out on a family hike that we thought would be about four miles in total. We finally go so exhausted, and realized we were still so far from the midpoint of the trail, that we turned around and went back. When Aaron checked the mileage on Google earth the next day, it was eight miles. Eight! I know, all my runner friends are rolling their eyes. Go ahead. The day was warm enough that we had to do some emergency surgery on Mim's long-sleeved shirt. The sleeves made great, if slightly dorky, hats. The were used for a variety of things throughout the trek.

Aaron is continuing to work on the UAV's. This is a tricky time in their development. Now that they've had successful tests, it is tempting to be too optimistic about the time when they'll be ready to send out for use. They want to know that the finished product is so reliable that it doesn't take two engineers and a couple pilots to ensure a safe flight. There are lots of little improvements and corrections, and they want to make sure that they and the eventual users can have full confidence in what they've made. There are already people who have heard about the project and who are interested in having a UAV for their missions work, so there's an added urgency to their work.

We may not have much of an online presence these days, but we're still here. We still appreciate your thoughts and your prayers more than you'll ever know.

Amazon Adventurer Returns

The misty Andes

Aaron spent the last ten days in Ecuador, and he says it was a wonderful trip. They took the UAV's down to test them in the conditions and latitudes they would actually face once in use.

They flew into Quito, then drove down the mountains to Shell Mera. They worked there at I-TEC Ecuador, testing and filming the flights, then flew down into the jungle in a bush plane with an MAF pilot.

At the jungle villages they met many of the Waodani people and had a lot of observers as they prepared for the real test of the UAV (called an RV Jet) that will most likely be used in the future. The villagers were very excited about their presence, and about the idea of a UAV that can carry emergency supplies to other villages in their area of the jungle.

The Team in Tzapino

The flight went very well. The RV Jet flew from Tzapino to Tiwaeno and back to Tzapino, dropping its cargo, a snake-bite kit with anti-venom, and returning exactly the way that it was designed. The villagers, and the engineers, of course, were very excited, jumping up and down and praising God.

One older man especially was so excited he was unable to speak properly. His own wife and son had died from bites in the jungle that happened at night when no one can fly the bush planes. He saw the possibility of this project more intensely than many.

Photo by Brian Reed

While at the village, Aaron also got to meet Mincaye. This sweet older Waodani man was one of the original group that speared the missionaries to death in 1956. Through the faithful lives and ministry of those who stayed down in the jungle, Mincaye learned to "walk God's trail." He has since traveled the world with Steve Saint, the son of the same martyred missionary, and the founder of I-TEC. If you want to know more of that story, I highly recommend the book End of the Spear or the movie by the same name. Of course, there's also an excellent documentary, Beyond the Gates of Splendor, or Wikipedia, whatever you prefer.

Aaron with Mincaye and Ompodae

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like...Summer, Really

Life continues well here in sunny Florida. We are enjoying the balmy temperatures and are amazed every day when we walk outside into the 85 degree November afternoons.

We still don't have internet. I won't elaborate on that particular topic, as it might lead me to say things I shouldn't.

The kids are doing their school work with a minimum amount of fuss, which isn't to say no fuss, but certainly not as much as there could be...or so I console myself. We've found a homeschool organization in nearby Ocala, so they've made a few friends and are being socialized, for all of you that might be concerned about such things.

Aaron and his co-workers are putting the finishing touches on the UAV's, and they are excited about the coming trip to Ecuador. As I've mentioned before, they'll be testing the UAV's with the kind of landscape you just can't get in central Florida. For example, they'll be flying over the Andes to see if the little planes can handle the stresses of wind and elevation. They'll also be taking videos of their flights to use in presentations and to study as well. I hope to be able to link to those videos at some point in the not too distant future.

The kids and I will head to Oklahoma, and Aaron will meet us there when he flies home from Quito. We're looking forward to the actual journey, which will be a long series of field trips if I get my way, but we're especially excited to get back "home" and visit family. 

We really do plan to get internet as soon as we can, and when that magical day comes, I will post much more often. I promise.

From a Distance

We are still living in the wilderness of no internet. AT&T tells me a different story every time I talk to them. It's become almost funny now. I should've kept a comprehensive list from the first conversation. I believe there is some light on the horizon, but it may be a falling star and not the rising sun. We shall see.


Aaron continues to enjoy his work at I-TEC. They have done several tests of their UAV's, watching them fly in circles around a field for an hour-and-a-half. It was encouraging if not riveting. Aaron and two other men will be heading to Ecuador in December for some jungle testing, which should be quite an experience for the Oklahoma farm boy who has never had a chance to use his passport.


We've had several family members visit over the last few weeks, some of them for a few days, and some for only a few hours. It's always great to talk with people who knew you when. We took them to the Rainbow river and sympathized with them as they dealt with the Florida humidity. We'd love to have more friends and family visit...hint, hint.


We also spent several days with the N's, a couple from Columbia who had been here for a month visiting with their new granddaughter. (The child of a couple who are doing flight training here at I-TEC) This couple do mission work with some tribes in the Amazon. They only spoke Spanish, so I had a real work-out, translating and trying to think in both languages without making a fool of myself in either one.


In short, I have much to be thankful for, so if you hear me griping about the lack of internet, put me in my place.

If There's a Wireless Grid, We're Still off It

We're still here, despite the enforced radio silence, (aargh! internet companies!) and Florida life is busy, but very rewarding. We've made lots of friends with the other workers and volunteers at I-TEC, in fact we've all started having weekly worship evenings together and hope to start a ladies Bible study and lads' night soon.


The kids and I are enjoying school and meeting other homeschoolers when possible. I say that the kids and I are enjoying school, but really I mean that I'm enjoying school, and the kids are tolerating it. I think that's about as much as you can expect for any child. I'm telling myself that anyway, so don't burst my bubble.




We've moved into a house that belongs to the I-TEC organization itself. They use this house for volunteer families so that their time here can feel like a real home. It's absolutely wonderful, and although I love our little RV, I have to say that moving back into an actual "sticks and bricks" home has been fantastic. I forgot how much I loved baths, and household appliances of my very own. We have our own washer and dryer for the first time in a year, and there's even a dishwasher!




Mim was so excited when she saw the dishwasher. You'd think she had done more than two loads of dishes in her life the way she squealed and jumped up and down. My reaction was much the same, but of course I have more dignity. (Don't ask Mim about her memory of that event. Ten-year-olds are notoriously untrustworthy.)


Aaron is working hard with the other fellows at I-TEC, testing, improving, and building the UAV's. They're looking forward to launching them in actual jungle conditions in Ecuador by the end of this year. This is the kind of job he was made for. He loves thinking of creative solutions for technical issues and procedures. I know, that's not my cup of tea either, but isn't it great that God designed us all differently? He's certainly going to have contributed more to the cause of justice with his mechanics than I will have with my current study of linguistics in the Third Reich.


A kind friend is allowing me to use her internet today, so this post has no pictures, I just wanted you all to know that I haven't forgotten the friends and family out there who keep up with our craziness, and as soon as AT&T decide they have an "open port" we'll jump back into the 21st century and the world of the world wide web.

Settling and Travelling and Generally Living

Our First (and only) Alligator!

Life in Marion County continues, and we are feeling more at home in the bi-polar Florida summer. July saw rain almost every day, but we've finally had a few days in a row where the state had a chance to live up to its nickname. Even the rainy days, though, were punctuated by brilliant sunshine, and occasionally the rain itself fell through beams of light. Very unusual to our midwestern weather sensibilites.





 We've been trying to get outside and exercise as much as possible, because you can only spend so long in an RV and still be a loving family. On Saturday we went with some fellow I-TEC volunteers to kayak the Rainbow River here in Dunnellon. It is a beautiful spring fed river, ending its brief journey in the Withlacoochee (What a name!) river, which heads on down to the gulf.

Aaron is keeping himself very busy between repairs to the RV (The new air conditioner was very welcome!) and his work at I-TEC. He sometimes carpools with the interns here at the house were we have parked the RV. There are three grown men in that tiny truck! Phil is driving, Aaron is sandwiched in the middle, and Chris, an Ecuadoran, gets the other window. Phil and Chris are working in the flight training program, or hoping to very soon when paperwork and such are arranged.

Our other neighbors here at "the intern house" are a young couple who recently had their first baby. Young Issy is the official I-TEC baby, and we are enjoying the opportunity to hold her. Jon and Tasha and great parents who plan to go to Columbia (Jon's home country) as missionaries when all his training is finished and they have raised support.

Aaron will head to Smoketown, Pennsylvania soon for a special air show that has a missions theme. I-TEC will be there along with MAF, JAARS, and other air/mission organizations. The UAV's should be a big hit, and I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when he returns. The previous picture is one of the UAV's as it prepares to receive a coat of paint. We thought it looked like it was smiling and wearing a pretty stylish headdress.

Back on the Grid

We have arrived in Florida. Actually, we arrived three and half weeks ago, but as per usual, setting up the computer is not a priority for the man who gets to go to work every day and use a computer. Well, that's just my theory. We now have it, though, so I have no more excuses for any and all lack of communication.

Our trip down went very well, with only one minor incident. Here's a tip for all you would-be RVers: don't try to make a sharp turn on an incline. It isn't good for the back end of your fifth wheel.

Minus One Jack. Oops.

We stayed at an RV park in Little Rock, right on the Arkansas River and a bridge walk away from the Clinton Presidential Library. I can't say that the CPL was my top, A-1 location to visit, but it was actually a very nice area, and had some pretty awesome animatronic dinosaurs out front. Little Rock was especially nice because we got to have dinner with my cousin, her husband, and their very sweet little fellow.

Little T Meets Bubbles

We waited until this big guy stopped moving.

The next two nights were at State Parks, one in Alabama and one in Northern Florida. They were both gorgeous, but we were especially impressed with the Suwanee River State Park. There were beautiful walks leading past the river, a sunken limestone bed, and fresh springs. The kids insisted they needed to drink the spring water, so we let them...with Aaron's Lifestraw. OK, I know; I'm overprotective.

Aaron had to run into the picture, hence the goof.

Mim Tastes Spring Water

We arrived to a very hot and humid Florida, but the wonderful people have more than made up for the climate. We already have new friends, and a couple of them even have swimming pools, which is wonderful for a couple of kids who might as well be fish.

Biking the Blue Run - Hot, but Beautiful

Aaron is enjoying his work very much, and I'll write what I can about that in the future. He's doing some engineering-on-demand and also working on some exciting UAV projects. The idea is that these UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) will be able to get emergency supplies and other necessary items in to areas where an airplane is too slow a source of help, or unable to land in proximity. He's having a lot of fun, and isn't sure that it's fair to have a job where you are excited to go to work in the morning, and enjoy what you do.

God is blessing us with the patience to put up with the little things, which can become big things, as we all know. (i.e. Ants. There are a lot of ants) It's wonderful to know that we can serve him while doing what we love.

Holding On for One More Week

At the OKC zoo with "Blaze"

We have one more week here in western OK, then we're headed south (and east, I guess). We're enjoying the time here with family. The kids are keeping busy with farm life and kid life, spending time with their grandparents and their cousins. They've made tents, visited the zoo, played at the park and generally been kids in summer-time - carefree and crazy. If you care and want to see pictures of some of these events, they're on the other blog- you know, the one that mostly has pictures of my children and tales of their exploits, and is not updated nearly as often as it used to be.

Lunch with the Barn Crew

Aaron has been very busy as well. Now that the truck is finished (see previous post) he has more time to help his father. The Thiessen building crew (Aaron, his dad, and a sister) have been putting up a barn. We take them lunches and watch the miraculous progress on the barn day by day.

Aaron Proves He Can Handle Heights

Aaron has also been practicing his handy man skills on the RV, fixing the A/C leak, (it still doesn't actually cool anything, but it doesn't spray water anymore) and building a bookshelf and a new bed. Yea! More storage!!

A New Bed! Yea!

Now we've just got to finish packing and make sure the RV is ready for the cross-country trek. We have a window unit to rig to our trailer, then dismantle for the traveling. The kids and I have sorted through all the toys, books, and clothes, so that shouldn't take too much more work. We all have about one foot of hanging space and three drawers each for all our clothes. Let's just say it's a challenge.

Next time I post, we'll probably be in Florida. Internet access might be spotty, but I will do my best. We're excited to begin the work there, and I look forward to sharing more details after we've arrived.

Vimes and Nobby Restored and Explained

Vimes, the pickup, is almost ready to be back out on the road again. He can make the trips now, but without his right side mirror it probably wouldn't be legal, so we're waiting for the final detail before we call him healed. (My brother-in-law took all the but the last of these pictures. Ask a man if you want pictures of automobile work. Thanks C!)

Aaron has worked and worked on this truck, and since almost everything he did was a "first time" it has taken a while. He said, "It's a good thing you aren't relying on my being a body mechanic for our household income." I'm sure it would be a lot faster the second time, though.

The bottom body panel was pretty smashed up on the right side, so Aaron found a salvage yard with a good donor truck for the two passenger-side doors and the bottom half of the ridiculously named bottom body panel. He, with some help from his father and brother, got the new parts installed and pulled dents and deformities out of the remaining bits.

He decided to paint it black instead of matching the existing blue. The top and hood still looked nice, though, so those will remain the original color. Which means, of course, that our little pickup is now literally "black and blue". I think it's fitting. After all, the pickup is named after Commander Sir Samuel Vimes from the Discworld universe of the recently deceased Terry Pratchett.

Vimes is a man has been through some rough times, but is essentially a good, honest, hard-working cop, just trying to bring justice to the city and serve the law. He gets a little beat up sometimes, but he always comes back because there's a job to do, and he knows he's the man to do it.

The RV, on the other hand, is named Nobby. I won't go into the details of that character, but if you're familiar with the world of Vimes, you'll know that Nobby isn't as...well respected...in the minds of all and sundry. I'll just leave that there. Suffice is to say that he is still a good guy, still a member of the team, and always faithful, more or less, to the cause.