Well  he did it.  He finally took his driving test and passed it first try.  It took all of 10 minutes, enough time for me to walk over to pick up Lona from piano lessons and for us to walk back.  He was so excited.  He was wiggling in the seat.  We dropped Lona off at home and drove to the DOL. We jumped out and realized we needed his birth certificate too.  Back home and then back again to the DOL. We waited for about 30 minutes, paid almost $100, had his picture taken and home we went.  He dropped me off and drove to Dairy Queen for a blizzard because he could. Alone.



It was perfect timing for him to get his license.  That evening we needed to be in three places and two cars.  He dropped Lona off at the car pool meeting place for soccer, then came home and in time to take John to his soccer game.  I was going to take the truck to small group but it had a flat tire so he drove Job and I to small group, then was at the meeting place in time to pick up Lona and then to the soccer field to pick up John.  He decided that he hated my life of running people around.  He had "no relax" time. Finally he has an inkling of what I do and it is all unpaid. I laughed out loud when I heard that.  Welcome to being a parent of preteens and teens Isaac. A little taste of what I've been doing the last few years.  Now he calls and asks if I have anything going on before planning something.  Sweet.

One thing I love about this area is that all in one day we can go sledding and then swimming.  We had decided to go swimming and one of Isaac's friends asked to hang out with us that day.  So we told him to be at our house at 7:45 and be prepared for anything.  He brought his key to his cabin which meant we could swim at the clubhouse.  Yes.  We packed up and started out for the mountain.  Within a block we needed to turn around for Isaac's diabetes meter.  It seems that whenever we go on an adventure, we immediately need to return to the house for one or more forgotten item.  It's just built into our schedule, at least one turn around per trip.  We reached the mountain, took out our sleds and the kids promptly scattered looking for the perfect sledding hill while John and I relaxed in the sun.  Within 1 1/2 they were ready for the next part of the adventure: food and swimming.  Down to the clubhouse we went.  We had lunch outside and then relaxed in the pool.  By 2:30 we were again back in the car for the ride home because Lona had a dance rehearsal that evening.  It was jammed packed like all of our adventures.  For some people they relax by actually relaxing I think our family is rejuvenated by packing in adventures one right after another.  It though truly felt like a mini vacation.

There's nothing like a potential move away to make one appreciate their hometown. Yes, Ferndale has become my hometown. I think it's due to the fact that I've lived here the longest.  We've been caught up in what it will be like to live in Katy, Texas.  However the other night I decided to drive around our little town and take photos of things I think are iconic of our town.  Ferndale has truly become our hometown.  Sure many people belittle Ferndale but it's a small town. It can't do what larger towns can do but it has other redeeming features.  Each small town has their little quirks and Ferndale is no exception. There is the bridge over Nooksack River.  Every few months something gets spray painted on the bridge and it's fun to see what new saying will be sprayed on.  Or the smoke stack with the American Flag painted on it.  When we first moved here there was a coin drive so it could get repainted. Then there is Main Street that turns into Mountain View and Axton even though it is straight. The street lights that have the hanging baskets of petunias every summer.  Hovander Park that we take the dog so he can swim or where we run or see goats and bunnies. I spent about 40 minutes and took some photos of things I think of when I think of my hometown.  There will be more photographs as I go out either early morning or late evening to photograph this place.  I am taking photos of things I see daily while driving around my town.  Yes, it's become my town and this summer I want to photograph it.

I'm sure that someday that will be a warning on a trampoline. Trampolines can cause ear damage. It seems ridiculous and it is. Yesterday Job was jumping on the trampoline. About 4 o'clock Job came running inside. "I think there's a bug in my ear." "What?"I responded. "I was jumping on the trampoline and I think there's a bug in my ear or a rock."  I decided I wasn't going to take him to the doctor unless there was an actual rock or bug in his ear. So I bought an otoscope. Granted it was cheap but I could actually see something in his ear. Unfortunately it was about time for me to leave the house to take someone else to an activity. If I wasn't picking up three other kids I would've just canceled. So I sent John a text, left Job researching it on the computer and drove away.  Later that evening I received a text that Job had a doctor appointment the next day in the afternoon. So into the doctor we went.  He let me use his otoscope which was really neat. It's amazing what $500 can do to an instrument. I could clearly see the rock in his ear nestled against the ear drum. The doctor sent in a nurse and she flushed the rock out of his ear. Job giggled the whole time he said it was so ticklish. He just couldn't stop. I tried to take a picture using my iPhone looking to the otoscope but that didn't work. Job really wanted to see in his ear. But it wasn't going to work. The doctor and I could see where the rock scraped his ear canal and a bruise on his ear drum. It was amazing. I think if I could do young children I would have invested in one. I use the cheap ones and diagnose quite a few of your infections when the kids were little  however it would be would have been nice to have a good otoscope.

About 12 years ago.  I still can't believe that it's been that long but it has.  I was in the laundry room pregnant, ironing, desperate, sad, scared, not knowing what the future was going to hold.  John had to  gotten this job at the refinery about a year before and started having problems with his hands.  We were in the middle of going to doctors.  We were seeing doctors at least once a week for a year. We saw all kinds of specialists from Bellingham to Seattle, Neurologists, rheumatologist, psychiatrist, physical therapists, massage therapists, they were a doctor we saw them.  John had severe pain in his arms, tingling and numbness in his hands.  No one could figure it out.  They said he was depressed, it was in his head.  They said it wasn't carpal tunnel.  It hurt to button shirts, it hurt to drive, he couldn't use a knife.  He was dependent upon me to do so much and I was pregnant for most of that time.  He had to switch positions at work because he couldn't do his job.  We were scared that he would lose his job or have to quit.  I thought at the time that I would have to go to work, leave my little ones at home.  I didn't know what I could do.  I had let me teacher certification expire.  It wouldn't have paid the bills anyway.  I remember being in the laundry room, ironing shirts crying and praying that God would show us the way and saying that I was willing to do whatever He required.  If it was go to work then I would even though I didn't want to.  I was willing to listen to Him.  Within four months we found out what was wrong and he was able to keep his job.  A couple of years later, we were at our whits end with our child.  He had failure to thrive syndrome.  I was giving him all sorts of food yet he wouldn't eat.  Finally someone suggested taking him off of wheat/gluten.  I was overwhelmed with how to feed this kid however I became educated with it and  he started to slowly get better but he couldn't eat anything with gluten in it.  We had been doing this diet for over a year or so and our church camp out came and went.  There were all sorts of goodies and food at the camp out.  Moms were trading recipes and talking about the snacks and campfire food they were serving in their tent spots.  I couldn't feed my child all these foods that the other mothers were feeding their children.  All our food was thought out and made specially at home for this camp out.  At that time, finding gluten free soy sauce was hard, let alone dough for grilled pizza.  There were no muffins or biscuits baked in tinfoil next to the fire.  There were no s'mores, no gold fish crackers, no "fun" foods.  I came home saddened and angry.  I thought of families that had lots of children and I was in my laundry room when I asked God, "Why does my child have to have this problem?"  "Why couldn't I have children that were normal like the mom's with lots of children?"  Then I realized that I just needed to deal with it, it wasn't as hard as other problems other moms were dealing with.  I realized that I had something to learn and I was going to trust God with this too.  It was another year or so before we were able to put him back on gluten.  Now here I am back in my laundry room, folding laundry asking God about our future.  Trusting him to direct our steps.  Wanting to hear the voice behind me, saying "this is the way walk in it."  I realize that even though we have plans for our future, it is uncertain.  The only certainty is here and now.  We can't change the past, we can plan for the future but even and hour from now, is uncertain.  I am waiting to hear how John's interview went.  I am waiting to see if we move to Texas.  I am waiting to know what will happen in the next few weeks, few months.  I don't know where my kids will go to school.  Is it here?  Is it in Texas?  I don't know.  I don't know when we will find out.  I just know that what ever happens God is in charge and I am willing to wait, though it's hard.

So most years I really don't do much for Isaac's birthday.  I'm kind of a lame mom that way.  It was too hard to plan a birthday party when soccer parties for my other kids were happening.  Often times the kids would come home from practice with a soccer party and it would be right when I would want to have Isaac's birthday. Then we would wait last minute to think of a gift and there his birthday would go.  This year I woke up a week before his birthday and decided at 6 in the morning to have a surprise party.  I had one for Lona and it was Isaac's turn.  I talked to his friends at church and his school friends.  Then the weirdest thing happened.  He took the initiative to ask friends over to hang out on his birthday.  I guess that's what happens when he's forced to make his own celebrations.  Thankfully so many of them had other obligations.  One kid helped to get him out of the house and then kids started showing up.  They ate pizza, ice cream, played video games, opened presents, play ultimate frisbee, and then we had 6 of them sleep on the floor in the family room.  All in all, I think he was mildly surprised but it was rather anti climatic.  Wonder what to do to make it really a surprise.  And yes, the next day I forced him to go out before the Sounders' game to take photos.