The News

(This is Becky, giving anyone who checks out this blog a little update of sorts.)

2009 has been a busy year for our family, already! Basketball games and practices were the main focus of most of January and February. Abby and Zeke both played on our home school teams, and Dad coached Zeke's team. Mom and I stayed busy coordinating the schedules, helping things go smoothly at the games, handling weather cancellations, etc. We all enjoy the games so much - it's been so encouraging and fulfilling to see the gym fill up with home school families for our home games! We have found that sporting events can be a great time of fellowship, although Mom sometimes has a hard time chatting with her friends as she chasing Libeth around the gym! Thankfully, many of our friends are willing to help babysit her during the games, the lovely Hickle girls in particular. :)

Abby and Zeke are both in book clubs this winter/spring - Abby's group is reading Pride and Prejudice, as well as sewing regency dresses. This is Abby's first sewing project, and she is doing and awesome job! Zeke's group is reading and discussing Johnny Tremain - although, when I picked him and some of his buddies up last week, they were slightly more inclined to tell me about all the star wars things they had played after book club. :) Both kids enjoy getting some time with peers who share their interests.

We also, in January, started the second Fine Linen play our family has been involved in! Every Saturday, we have been at rehearsals for the "Pirates of Penzance." It's a very fun musical, although the music is challenging. Mom, Abby, and Zeke all have roles in the play itself, while I am props manager/babysitter. Performances are the weekends of April 17/18 and 23/24/25.

Mom has been enjoying the fellowship of several other ladies each Tuesday afternoon, as they have a Bible Study time. She experienced quite a disruption to life when her calendar was lost at the end of January. I found it yesterday, behind one of the couches in the living room. :) This past weekend, she and Dad went down to Poplar Bluff to watch Andy play baseball. He is played left field, and DH-ing, as well as really enjoying his college/baseball playing experience in general. They got to visit the church he normally attends, and have dinner with him twice. Luckily for us, they forgot to take the pile of baked goods we had prepared for him - and we now have dessert for the next week or so! Yum! Andy is headed down to Florida and Georgia for spring break, playing 4 ball games down there.

For the past two weeks, Mom has been feeling very under the weather. She finally went to the doctor this morning, and is now being treated for strep, since she has swollen glands, and nasty white spots all over the back of her throat (they didn't even think a culture was necessary, the spots looked so bad). She kept hoping the sore throat would go away, but it hasn't and got worse over this past weekend. Right now, she is napping . . . she keeps saying that it makes her feel so lazy and useless to just lie in bed, and I keep trying to convince her that it's what she needs! :) Please keep her in your prayers, that the medication she is now on would work quickly!

Our camera has been broken for the past month or so, and so I don't have any pictures to post at the moment. However, we now have it back and in working condition, so I may give either Abby or Zeke that project later this week.