Foreign Object Visits Sofia's Ear

Funny how a day can be going so well and end up so traumatic, isn't it? Such was the case with our family yesterday.

Sofia and I had a productive day of school, studying the artistic elements of Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost (brings back memories of reciting this poem in junior high).

And the reward for our studies was a trip to the park with neighbors. We recently met a lovely family at our neighborhood park and have since met for play dates. Yesterday's outing to the park proved to be lively and energetic for Sofia and her new girlfriend. The girls screamed, shouted and squealed with laughter for 2 solid hours. The tire swing was put to good use!

Sometime during that wild trip to the playground, a foreign object, presumably a hardened ball of mulch, found its way inside Sofia's ear canal. Of course we had no idea about this unwelcome visitor until bed time, around 4 hours later. Sofia began complaining about an earache at dinner, but we hoped some Tylenol would do the trick.

Moaning and crying began after story time and good-nights were said. Being the compassionate Father, Tate went to check on her. The ear was feeling worse, so he performed an inspection with a flash light. And there he found the culprit, lodged fairly deep in Sofia's ear canal.

Off he rushed to the store to purchase an ear syringe. He attempted to wash the debris out of her ear, but to no avail. Whipping out his efficient hemostat, I shined the light on our patient and pulled on her ear lobe while we both comforted and reassured her that she would feel no pain. Encouraging her to be very still, hero Dad used a steady hand to successfully retract the foreign object from Sofia's painful ear.

Sofia jumped up and down while crying tears of joy. After cleaning out her ear, we ushered her to bed (now very far past bedtime). She did not sleep well, but is quite comfy on the sofa watching OPB this morning. What a privilege hanging out with the little patient while she recovers.

Today we are grateful for Tate's achievement. Praise God for giving Tate the tools and ability to navigate a traumatic event with confidence. I admire Tate's ability to remain calm under pressure and problem solve. Aren't we blessed to have a Dad like Tate? Absolutely! We love you Dad!

I'm proud of my man!

I was just thinking this morning of how much I admire and respect my Husband. Tate is an amazing Husband and Father. We are so blessed by his humor, encouragement, wisdom, attention to household repairs, time and attention. He motivates us to personal growth and congratulates our efforts.

We're proud of you and your wealth of accomplishments Tate. We can't imagine our lives without you.

Yours,

Nita and the girl

Merry Christmas Sofia

Sofia, we had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with you. One of our favorite things to do together lately is for me to tell you who you are. I wanted to keep a record of this so we can reminisce later. You're growing so fast, that it's important to capture these memorable moments.

When we snuggle in bed to read a bedtime story and pray, you'll say, "Mom, don't forget to tell me who I am." To which I reply, "You are my sunshine, my lit up Christmas tree, my favorite gift wrapped in a huge red ribbon, my baby, my Cinderella, my Belle, my queen ant, my angel, my sunrise and sunset, my tight hug, etc. You smile and bury your head in my arms, creatively describing what I am to you.

I cherish these times together, and hope you'll always remember them. Your favorite gift this Christmas was a Liv Doll named Alexis. She came with 3 wigs, your favorite being blond. I would have purchased the blond haired doll, but her mini skirt is a bit much for a 5-year-old. So, I had to choose the brunette. We brunettes have fun too you know!

Waiting for you to awake right now, I'm puzzled that you're not bounding out of your room at 7AM. You must be worn out from your visit with Grandma Shirley (our sweet neighbor down the hill).

My new guideline for you is to stay in your room until your clock reads 7AM. This is not easy for you, considering you rise at 6AM; but listening to music, reading books and playing with Barbies offers a decent distraction. You better wake soon and prepare for your play-date with Aspen and Journey!

You're an amazingly energetic and happy child. Hopefully all these fruits and veggies I eat will allow me to keep up with you in the years to come. Maybe we can even share clothes some day, should I be able to match your flair for fashion!

Love, Mom.

Making Memories

With November comes Thanksgiving, and I am feeling grateful for my family and friends. Life is so brief, and I want to express to my loved ones how special you are to me. I thank God for surrounding me with such loving and generous people.

Hiding in Heaven

My little angel said the sweetest thing today: "Mom, if I were playing hide-and-seek with my friends, I would hide in Heaven." I asked her why. She energetically replied, "Because I love God!" These words are music to my ears.

The photo pictures her with 2 recent books we've studied for home school. If you haven't read them with your children, there are remarkable life lessons tucked inside.

We're truly enjoying our time spent learning together each day. If only I can keep up with her inquisitive mind. What would I do without a laptop and Google search engine each day? Today she wanted to know why the sky turned beautiful colors during a sunset and how to dye feathers. Having let my fingers do the walking, now we both know the answers!

Sofia, I will no doubt fondly reminisce about our quality time spent together learning about God's world and all that is in it. Next to your Dad, you are the apple of my eye, and I adore you.

Pop's Visit to Oregon

During October we had the privilege of a visit from Tate's father, who lives in NC. This was his first opportunity to visit our favorite sight-seeing locations.

We sure enjoyed your visit Pop, and hope you will come again soon.

What a joy homeschooling Sofia has been! I cannot express how much we enjoy our time together learning, creating and sharing ideas. Sofia is such a smart 5-year-old, an ambitious reader, writer, artist and more.

We are using a curriculum called, "Five in a Row", which takes us through classic story books for 5 consecutive days, each day spent on a different subject.

Pictured are the 2 books we have studied so far, each one already becoming more meaningful and memorable as we dig deeper into the lessons.

We're looking forward to studying Madeline next week. I have to admit that NOT reading the story before Monday morning is taking serious will power! She has done well also, considering the books we will be reading this Fall are stacked on a table waiting patiently for us to open them.