Happy Easter 2022 (Siobhan and Grandma)

~Happy Easter~

We had such a wonderful Easter weekend!! Grandma visited us from NH, and we made so many special memories with her. Keep scrolling to read her letter recapping our weekend :)

Grandma wrote this letter about her Easter visit with us. We had such a wonderful time with her!!

Dear family,

I just got home from 4 nights at Megan’s (and one in DC due to a cancelled flight on the way home!)  Alabama was such a fun visit.  I wanted to spend as much of my 2 travel days in Meg’s home (rather than in airports) so Dad and I got up at 3:00 AM so I could catch the earliest possible flight to Huntsville last Thursday.  (We had gone to bed at 7:00 PM the previous night so we actually got 8 hours of sleep!)

Siobhan picked me up at the airport with several of the kids.  Owen asked one of his siblings, “Is that my grandma?”  Of course, he didn’t remember my previous visit, but all I had to do was sit on the living room floor with a lap full of little cars and we bonded immediately.  His two great loves are cars and books.  He is just as willing to read aloud to someone else as he is to have someone read to him.  His confident flow of totally made-up words is so much fun to listen to as he turns page after page, reading with abandon.  But his regular vocabulary is very intelligible (when he is speaking rather than reading), and somewhat bigger than his grandma’s.  When asked what color something was, he promptly answered, “cyan”.  Hmmm, I thought he must be trying to say something else, but sure enough, Owen identifies a bluish green color as cyan.

The twins’ greatest love is basketball.  I have never seen anything like it.  They LOVE watching professional games on TV.  I joined them, trying to show an enthusiasm that is not natural to me when it comes to sports.  I commented on one player who made what looked to me like a valiant effort to push through a crowd of players, as he made his way to his side of the court.  I said, “That’s a great break through”.  One of the twins politely instructed me, “That’s called a drive.”  Another time I saw some letters on the bottom of the screen and decided to comment casually about them.  They were REB and AST.  This time Baxter graciously turned to me saying, “That means rebounds and assists”.

They are not only incredibly knowledgeable about the professional games, but the two of them play basketball constantly.  I asked Ethan if he ever lowers the basketball net that stands at the top of their driveway so the twins can shoot hoops.  He assured me that wasn’t necessary.  Sure enough, throughout my visit, I could find Baxter and Cade out there shooting hoops with the net at its full height, and making their shots!  

Brandan and I had lots of fun outside, but one of my favorite things was to see Brandan’s beautiful art wall.  I was amazed at how creative each of the pieces are.  He made birch trees that look exactly like real bark.  He and Shaila have a wonderful art teacher at co-op.  She teaches such creative techniques and even taught them how to make papyrus that they then used for practicing Egyptian art.  

Brandan gave me a drawing that he calls “The Chicken and the Egg” which was a natural choice of subject since they are raising a box of about 17 half-grown chicks.  They are all different colors – white, reddish brown, black, gold…  In a few more weeks Megan and family will have all the eggs they can eat.  Brandan, Shaila, and the twins were often found with a chick in hand or sitting in the living room with a chick on their shoulder.  

Shaila shares my love for needlework.  Siobhan had given her a kit with 4 separate projects in it – a cross stitched owl, heart, 2 cats, and …….. Oh well, I can only remember three out of four.  She and I started the first project which Shaila finished within a day.  It was beautiful!!  Before I knew it, she had started the second one.  

Siobhan, Shaila and I had a fun outing at Piper and Leaf – a creatively decorated tea shop.  Of course, I ordered the yummiest chai I’ve ever had.  We sat on an old-fashioned couch and admired the shop full of antiques -- old trunks, tea pots, ladies’ hats on a tall rack, old books, countless treasures ….  It was great!

I loved the opportunity to chat with each of the older kids about their plans for the next few years – hobbies, college, careers, marriage …… well, maybe not marriage.  Connor and I had a walk together and a chance to catch up on his interest in landscaping.  He did a beautiful job laying out a bed of bushes and flowers around his front door and does most of the maintenance on their big yard.  He also chose a movie for us to watch together and Aidan taught us a very fun game – Dixit.  Aidan is weighing his options for college and is actively visiting several.  I learned that his interests lie in the fields of literature and history as well as biblical studies.  I am thankful to be better able to pray for him over this next year when colleges are being visited and applications sent.  

Ethan and I had a lovely breakfast out together.  I’m afraid I did most of the talking as I told him all about the projects and study that I am interested in at the moment.  He was a great listener and encourager:)  He also gave me his “take” on where each of his siblings are headed, and was obviously very proud of each of them.  I will be praying for his remaining college years (which will probably include med school).  

Megan planned so many lovely outings for all of us, and a few for just the two of us.  We had a walk through the botanical gardens together.  Meg is a master when it comes to my two favorite things to do – eat yummy food and walk outdoors.  The most wonderful meals just “appeared” after each of our outings.  It was a blessing to share Easter with them.  Stephen led us in such thoughtful devotions at home; I was able to worship with them on Easter Sunday; I even shared in their egg hunt which included my other favorite – chocolate!  

My trip home left a bit to be desired.  The flight from Huntsville to DC was so late that I missed my connecting flight to Manchester.  The airline paid for a night in a Hilton hotel and gave me a $12 food voucher (which I spent on a large chai and a bottle of orange juice).  So, it wasn’t all bad.  I was SO GLAD to get home today and (even though my final flight arrived half an hour early) Dad was waiting for me!!  I was reunited with Parker and Carter today when they got off the school bus.  I could hear Parker calling, “Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!” from the moment he saw me through the bus window until he flew into a big hug as he jumped off the bus.  As Carter made his way off the bus and saw me, he said, “Oh yeah, Grandma, I forgot you were gone:)”

So that is my “excelentic” adventure.

Love you all, 

Mom (Grandma)

A Letter to Aidan from Grandma

 

My dear Aidan,

I am so sorry that I let your birthday slip up on me without remembering☹

Months ago I bought you a birthday card that I thought would strike your

“funny bone”. On the front it says, “The President and Mrs. Trump wish

you a Happy Birthday”. The card was wrapped in saran so I couldn’t see

what was inside, but I bought it and tucked it away for your birthday!!

When I realized that TODAY is the day, I opened the card to find a

naughty word inside. Oh well, maybe it was just as well that I didn’t send

it.

As I think of you as my grandson over the past 15 years, I think of your

quietness and thoughtfulness. I often reflect on the amazing birthday gifts

you sent to me this year. The beautiful study you did of our family lines is

an incredible gift. And the recitation of four chapters of Matthew is

staggering to me (especially in light of the trouble I have remembering

anything). I was sure that yesterday was Wednesday, and here I am today,

living it all over again. The job you did memorizing Jesus’ genealogy is

beyond my comprehension.

I also think of you, Aidan, as a game-lover. You can virtually play for all 4

people at once, just as smoothly as a swiss watch. Your hands glide over

a game board, moving “men”, snatching money, making change… all in

one seamless motion…. for everyone at the table!!

However, I have also seen your gentle grace and humor. I will never forget

playing ping pong with you in your garage. We were volleying back and

forth and I was thinking, “Hey, I’m not so bad for 70. I’m holding my own

pretty well with this (then) 14-year-old.” When all of a sudden, out of

nowhere, a ping pong ball flew at me so fast that I could see nothing but a

blur and could in no way react in time to guess where it was in time to

swing at it. A little smirk came over your face. Then I realized that you

were playing graciously with your Grandma, but you couldn’t quite resist

letting me see a bit of what you were holding back. I loved it��

My very least favorite memory of you, Aidan, was when you unknowingly

ate some peanut butter cookies. You weren’t feeling well, but you just

quietly retreated to your bedroom. Fortunately, you must have realized that

you desperately needed help, but still no noise or fuss. You just came back

downstairs, looked at us with a splotchy, frightened face. There was no

question that you were having a serious allergic reaction. Your parents

quickly stabbed you with an epi-pen and your Mom found a neighbor with a

car that she could borrow so your Dad could take you to the hospital. I’ve

never been so thankful to see you at home again.

When I think of all the beautiful promises in Psalm 119 that belong to those

who “hide God’s Word in their heart”, I am so excited to see how you will

continue to grow and mature, and how God will use your life to bring glory

to His own. You have quietly and soberly taken on so many challenges

that center on the mastery of God’s Word. I am so thankful for God’s Spirit

in you, Aidan, and for the young man you have become. You bless me so

much, Aidan, and I know you will bless many others throughout your

lifetime.

I wish I could have shared this birthday with you. I know it will be a Happy

One!!

So much love

Grandma

My Great Adventure (Grandma)

~Grandma's Alabama Adventures~

Dear Sibs & Kids & Mom,

Just got home from NC and AL.  I flew to Gin’s, then drove to AL with her to drop off a car at Meg’s, visited for 3 days, and flew home (7 days in all).  Each part of the trip was such a blessing in very differing ways.  Loved my walks and quiet days with Gin and loved my walks and crazy days at Meg’s   I’ll focus on the latter for now because most of you are more in touch with Gin's family than Meg's.

The most treasured moment was Owen’s baptism.  Megan surprised me by scheduling it on the Sunday that I was there.  He was so sweet and slept through it except for a little startle when Pastor Thole touched his head with the cold water.  I was so thankful to have a second visit with Owen while he is still a floppy, little newborn.  The only real difference since his birth is that he has lots of smiles and a very round belly.  Thankfully, he has survived all the love and attention he gets.

When at Meg’s house, I am in greatest demand by the twins.  There is no shyness, just an ever-ready invitation to join in their play which is still primarily centered around cars and trucks.  However, they have added a bit of sophistication since I last visited.  The play still begins with incredible crashes and pile ups of vehicles, but then the job of repairing them begins.  For those of you who would benefit from a little car repair instruction, I will share what I learned.  You need only a plastic screw driver and wrench and (most importantly) a hammer.  After “removing” the wheels you torque with the wrench anything that protrudes from the vehicle, and finish the repair by giving the entire vehicle a good hammering.  You are then “good to go” and ready for the next crash.

(Additional tip: If your tools are in the basement where Grandma is pretending to be asleep for just a few more minutes, you can find about 75 safety pins in your junk drawer.  They fill the bill as car tools until Grandma gets up.)

Playing games with the older kids revealed that my “Golden Days” of winning every game are long gone.  Shaila, Brandan and I played Zingo and a Frozen version of Candy Land.  Shaila won every game, Brandan came in a close second, and I lost.  I also came in dead last at Monopoly when we added Aidan and Connor.  My older grandchildren who were sorely beaten at Spit for YEARS can glean satisfaction in that

I also had walks with Megan and Connor, a fun ride in Ethan’s new little sportscar (can’t remember what kind it is – no surprise), 2 phenomenal Christmas light shows with the whole family, a fun TV night watching the morbidly humorous “Series of Unfortunate Events”, the most incredible meals by Megan and Siobhan  (also no surprise), and one horrible half hour with 10 of us shut into the basement closet with the hot water heater.  Well, it wasn’t really so horrible.  We were avoiding a tornado that touched down in the neighboring town and resulted in sirens blowing, lightening, rain, hail, wind, and general mayhem (except for those of us who were safely sitting around the hot water tank laughing and taking pictures of ourselves “enjoying” the absurdity of it all).

Those are the highlights……. did I mention the most delicious food and gracious hosting by the whole family!!!???!!! 

Love you all and can’t wait to see some of you over Christmas, some of you at the shore, and some of you soon, I hope:)

Mom (Con)

My Trip (Grandma Z)

Grandma always writes a letter after visiting us, and it never fails to make us smile 😊

Dear Sibs & Kids,

I returned home from Meg’s last evening.  What a busy and blessed week!!  I arrived the day before Owen’s birth.  I was SO thankful that Meg’s little twins needed no time to “warm up” to me; they really know and remember me.  They even know my car!!  We gave it to Meg and Stephen when they last visited NH.  When Stephen came home from work on the first day or so, the twins saw it and exclaimed, “Grandma’s home!!” 

Unfortunately, as the twins remember more, Grandma remembers less☹  On my first day there I totally forgot to change their diapers until we were getting into the car to visit Mama and meet Owen in the mid-afternoon.   And it didn’t once occur to me to bathe them during the whole 3 days that Meg was in the hospital.  Oh well, at least I didn’t forget to love them, swing them, play monster trucks, go for walks, read to them, and snuggle a lot.

Reading to them was a very unique experience.  I really didn’t have to do anything; they are very active “listeners”.  Each page prompts a barrage of questions before I read a word.  “Pooh is stuck in a hole?  Because he ate too much honey?  What’s that?”  (I answer: "a ground hog, I think", but am corrected)  “No, it’s a gopher.  Is Christopher Robin wearing shoes?..........”

They asked to sleep with me in the basement.  I thought that would be so sweet and began to tell them that they could if Mama said it was OK.  Siobhan looked up with panic in her eyes, “No Grandma.  You don’t want to do that!!!”  It turns out that the twins’ expression of comfort is to pinch the arms of anyone they sleep with.  Siobhan and Shaila wake up covered with scratches and bruises. 

The first morning, I came upstairs as I heard everyone stirring in the kitchen.  One of the twins came into my lap, but didn’t say a word.  That seemed strange after so much chatter the previous day.  One of the kids assured me that the twins don’t talk for the first hour or so in the day.  No one knows why, but they both remain dead silent until they mutually decide the silent period is over.  That evening I also learned that the prayer before dinner has to be kept short because both twins hold their breath during the entire prayer.

The twins’ questions overflow into every area of life.  Concerning Owen’s birth, they explained to me, “The doctor is going to cut mama’s stomach so baby Owen can come out, and he won’t have any teeth.”  Their response to meeting Owen for the first time was to ask Daddy, “Where’s the other one?”  Naturally, they thought that babies all come in pairs – like they did.

It was a blessing to have time with each of the kids.  Siobhan and Ethan are the busiest with college and work, but they manage to meet a lot of needs at home too.  Ethan drives siblings to sports practice, and (as usual) often has someone on his hip.  Siobhan whizzes around the kitchen and laundry room like a productive cyclone.  It was almost impossible to help a bit in those areas.  Aidan introduced me to a “Farm version of Monopoly”.  Very fun.  He also let me listen to his memory work which included an entire chapter of Hebrews.  I think he is memorizing the whole book.  Connor and I also practiced memory work for competitions he participates in.  I’m looking forward to seeing one of his basketball games in the spring.  Shaila and I made beautiful vanilla “bath bombs” – a birthday gift she got and made for her mom.  I also watched one of her soccer games; she is a dynamite goalie!  Brandan and I played dozens of Mancala games.  We are very evenly matched! 

Last, but not least is little Owen – sweet as can be and loved by all.  He is so patient as he is passed from one sibling to the other until he finally just must return to “home base” which is (of course) Megan.  It was hard to see how uncomfortable she was with incision pain and those awful headaches.   But after about 2 days at home, she was feeling well enough to take a (slow) walk with all of us.  Her organizational skills were stretched to the max to keep all of us on track and assure that we were all at the right place at the right time.  She’s amazing (as we all know).

Much love to each of you

Mom

Ethan's (and Aidan's and Brandan's!) Graduation 2019 (Siobhan)

~Graduation 2019~

 This year we had three graduates in our family! Ethan graduated from high school, Aidan graduated from 8th grade, and Brandan graduated from Kindergarten. We had a wonderful time celebrating with our new church family and AL friends!

Mom wrote this special message for Ethan on his graduation day:

Welcome. Thank you so much for joining us as we celebrate Ethan’s high school

graduation. If you had told me a couple of years ago that we would be holding

Ethan’s graduation party in the deep South, 1200 miles from all of our family and

the state we’ve always called home, I wouldn’t have believed you. Yet here we

are. In one of Ethan’s college applications he was asked to write an essay on his

favorite word. Ethan chose to write about God’s “sovereign serendipity,”

acknowledging that God has used all of the circumstances in his life, even the

challenging ones, to work together for his ultimate good. Our family has seen

countless demonstrations of God’s faithfulness through the transitions of this past

year. What never ceases to amaze me is that God so quickly blessed us with a

church who prayed for our family members by name before meeting us and

welcomed and loved us like family. In the absence of most of our New Hampshire

family and friends, we are especially grateful that you are here to congratulate

and encourage Ethan as he enters this new chapter of his life and educational

journey.

Ethan, as your mom and homeschool teacher for the past 12 years, I’d like to give

a recap of your accomplishments, recognize your achievements, and offer you

some final words of exhortation. As valedictorian of your class, YOU should

probably be up here giving this speech, but I’m going to give you a pass.

Ethan has been blessed with a wide variety of talents, and he has never allowed a

lack of formal training to hinder him in pursuing his interests. Ethan has spent the

past few years teaching himself guitar through online lessons and has spent more

evenings than I can count, developing his drawing skills and working on portraits

to give as gifts to his family and friends. (Please take a few minutes to look

through Ethan’s art portfolio, which we have displayed on the table inside.)

Ethan’s artistic talents were put to good use in the six years he spent on a

Destination Imagination team. Siobhan and Ethan’s team placed first in their NH

regional and state tournaments and moved on to the Global tournament in

Tennessee. Knoxville, TN, felt like the far reaches of the earth, and the kids

returned to New England full of bizarre stories about Southerners who talked up a

storm with the craziest accent and treated you like a long lost cousin, even when

you beat them in their own tournament!

One of the opportunities Ethan was most excited about down here in Alabama

was joining a REAL swim team. Before last summer, Ethan had enjoyed a couple

of seasons of low-key competitive swimming at our local pools in New Hampshire.

Last summer, the White family invited him to try out for the Athens Gator’s Team.

He joined with less experience than most of the other swimmers his age, but he

persevered and, at the end of the season, was recognized as the most improved

swimmer in his age category. No sooner did swim team come to a close than

Ethan asked me to set him up with a training program for the Rocket City

Marathon. Since running was “my thing,” I was a little reluctant to share this

hobby and figured he’d probably lose interest as the miles added up. Ethan

proved me wrong, and the months we spent waking up before dawn to run with

flashlights, dodge armadillos, and brave rainstorms and blistering heat became a

memory I will always treasure. I couldn’t have been prouder when Ethan crossed

the finish line.

To celebrate his 26.2 mile achievement, I gave Ethan this shirt. It lists the 6 stages

of marathon running , which I’ll read to you.

Number 1. Let’s Do This! 2. Why Am I doing this? 3. Am I dead? 4. I wish I were

dead. 5. I’m dead. 6. Can’t wait to RACE AGAIN.

I love how the Bible uses running as a metaphor for the Christian life. 1

Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but

only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

In Hebrews 12:1 1 we read, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great

cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so

easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

And in Philippians 3:13-14, Paul writes, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider

myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind

and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for

which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Ethan, during your high school journey, you’ve hit each of these stages of race

training When you embarked on a rigorous classical education and were handed

your first pile of new books, you probably said to yourself, “Let’s Do This!” Then

the monotony set in and challenges arrived, not the least of which was putting

putting your Junior Year of high school on hold for a few months to help your

family of 10 prepare and pack our home for a 1200 mile move. I’m sure there

were many times when you wondered, “Why am I doing this?” Yet you were the

first to volunteer for projects and never complained when you were asked to

paint walls around your sleeping brothers and sisters at night with a flashlight,

clean our house again and again for showings, help care for so many younger

siblings with the stomach bug, and load and unload our moving truck. I don’t

know about you, but there were a few times during our move when I was

tempted to wish I were dead (or at least could just sleep until it was all over).

Then as your “reward” for helping your family with a monumental move, you got

to spend most of last summer catching up on your schoolwork. As of this past

week, you have finished 10 years of Latin, as well as Logic and Rhetoric with

Excellence. You’ve studied more than 170 books in your Omnibus course, and

today you are graduating Summa Cum Laude. Now you are planning to study

biology at UAH’s Honors College and are gearing up to “race again!”

Ethan, my charge to you as your mom and teacher (and retired running partner) is

from Colossians 3:23-24 which reads, “ Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the

Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord ayou will receive the

inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Those days in your

life when you receive awards, celebrate a graduation, or cross a finish line are few

and far between, and you will need a fresh supply of God’s grace each morning to

face the hard work and challenges that come with adult responsibilities. Keep

trusting in your faithful God who has written each of your days in His book, has

promised to help and uphold you, and who will renew your strength as you rely

on Him.

As I was thinking about what I might share with you today, Ethan, one of my

favorite stories came to mind. It is the legend of an artist who worked on one of

the great cathedrals. Before sharing the legend, the writer made 4 interesting

observations about the builders of the great cathedrals which are worth

mentioning.

1.) First, no one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of

their names.

2.) Second,these builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see

finished.

3.) Third, they made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

4.)Fourth, the passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of

God saw everything.

This legend told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being

built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was

puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that

bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it.” And the

workman replied, “Because God sees.”

When Ethan was asked which book out of the hundreds he has read for school

most impacted him, he said that it was The Confessions of St. Augustine. I would

like to present you with your own copy of this book and leave you with a simple

quote from St. Augustine.

Augustine wrote, “You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones.” Ethan you

have been faithful in the small things, and my prayer for you is that God will equip

you with everything good that you may continue to do his will [in the bigger

things of life], working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus

Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

 Grandma Z was able to fly down from NH to be here for the graduation. It was so special to have her celebrate with us!

Congratulations, Ethan! I am so proud of you and can't wait to go to UAH with you this fall.