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Besides the snow, what all is going on in our lives?

Let's start with the oldest child and work our way down.

Bantam20 seems to be getting off to a good start at college.  He learned some lessons last semester...and so did we.  Like what questions to ask!  Do you have every single book that you need?  Check.  Are you signed up yet for the tutoring program?  Check.  Have you met with your tutor?  Check.  Have you been exercising? What do you weigh? Have you missed any classes?  Do you have any assignments overdue?  Is there anything you are waiting on from a professor?  From your advisor?  Now if we can just remember to go through this list every week!  But his answers have been all good so far, and he seems really determined to stay on top of things.  I am so proud of him.

Blondechick18 is a busy gal these days.  Before Christmas, she left her job as a hostess at Perkins and took a retail job at a mall, and she is much happier at her new job.  She's working around ten hours a week and is managing her time well.  She's staying after school a couple times a week for pre-season women's soccer workouts, and she goes in early for NHS meetings and show choir rehearsals.  She also sings on the worship team at our church and in chapel at school.  Next week she and Bantam15 are performing at a fundraiser Dinner Show; they're singing "What I've Been Looking For" from High School Musical, and they've been practicing the original choreography:



Isn't that cheesy?  They have joked for years about how much fun the two of them could have playing these roles.  These two characters are brother and sister in the musical, and if you know Blondechick, you know she has a Sharpay side to her, and B15 in real life has played Ryan to her Sharpay more than a few times!

Blondechick also was accepted to TIU! (Trinity in Deerfield)  That's where her brother is, and it's a nice distance from home--about 35 minutes away.  She and her young man are having serious talks about their future as well.  It looks like he'll be continuing at the local university next year, and though she'd like to live at home and go there with him, we're insisting that she spend her first year at a Christian college (some thoughts here). She's resigned, but also cautiously optimistic.  TIU is the closest to her boyfriend, so it looks like that's where she'll be next fall.  She's undecided about playing soccer there or about her major, but she's thinking of communcations.  She just told me that her favorite high school class is English Lit, though, so she might explore an English major too.  (Of course that excites her mother, who started out as a Lit major; ended up an El Ed major, Lit minor.)  She's a good writer, too, when she takes the time to write...so we'll see!

B15 is being inducted into the NJHS (National Junior Honor Society) next week, so now in addition to morning show choir rehearsals, he'll start having NJHS meetings at the same time as Blondechick's NHS meetings.  I am so glad that they can drive together this year!  He usually stays and works out during her soccer workouts; he joins the wrestlers and is thinking about that sport for next year.  He's also excited about their choir trip to California in March.  (So is Blondechick.)  He finished driver's ed and just needs to get his learner's permit soon, since there is a 6-month wait before he can actually get his license...hopefully right before school starts next fall.  We thought about getting it earlier, so he can work this summer, but for what we'd have to pay in insurance premiums on a 16-year-old male, it's probably not worth what he'd earn, assuming he can find a job.  Plus he really wants to

We held our second-ever all-church Talent Show last night!  It was a blast.  We had around 40 different people perform in a solid 90 minutes of talent! We had guitar solos, piano solos and a harp solo.  There were vocal solos and duets.  We had magic tricks, poetry, short stories, an original essay, an original skit, and Shakespeare.  A guitar, piano and drum trio (a "band" in their 11-year-old

After Holy Week, it was fortunate that we had Spring Break!  I needed a week to recover and get caught up on life.  Only Bantam14 went anywhere--he was invited to go with his friend, friend's mom and brother, and his friend and friend's mom (clear as mud?) to spend two nights/three days at a waterpark in Wisconsin Dells.  The rest of us (sans Papa Rooster, who was away on business nearly the

What's new?Bantam19 just brought home his cap, gown, tassel and a box of graduation announcements, prompting me to call up the place that took his senior pictures for the yearbook and get that order in for wallet-size pics to include in his announcements. This is coming up too fast!Blondechick17 just tried out for the girls' soccer team at her Christian school, knowing that everyone makes it and

It's been busy at Chez Henhouse. We are having a house blessing tonight! Never mind that it will be two years in May that we have lived here. Epiphany is the traditional season for house blessings, and we missed it last year, okay? We were still unpacking.This year, I won't say we're done unpacking--there are still boxes in the storage room, plus new accumulations--but we are settled in

It's that time of year--time for recitals, concerts and shows!Our string began last week with the Christmas Concert at Blondechick and Bantam14's school. It was a combined effort with the band, the orchestra, the mixed choir, the show choir, the girls' choir, the boys' choir, and the drama club. B14 sang with the boys' and the mixed (or middle school) choir. There were only three boys in the

Our little Chicklet6 has been having some trouble with her leg. Last week she had a swollen lymph gland in the groin area, and even though she had just been on antibiotics for the bladder infection, she was put on a different kind because of the painful lymph node.After 4 days on the antibiotic, however, her pain had worsened and was traveling down her leg. Last night, she could no longer

It's been a quiet evening. Blondechick15, our most verbal and somewhat high-maintenance child, is at a Christian drama camp until Friday. The public areas of the main level of our house are finally in an unpacked state for the first time in weeks, so tonight I actually felt like I had a few moments to sit down at the table with Chicklet5 and play a phonics game with her. We had a lovely time,

Well, we're here! In the new house in Wisconsin, that is. We had awesome teams helping us on Saturday on both ends--loading up in IL and unloading here. Except for taking longer than we hoped--of course--all went really smoothly, and we were still done by 6:00 p.m. However, that meant I was unable to make it back for the final performance of Oliver--a big disappointment. But I got there in

Thanks, everyone, for all the blessings and rejoicings--what a celebration in the comments box there!!! Wish I could write several posts all about our weekend. I'd write one about our closing, because both our banker and the other realtor will be near neighbors, it turns out, and so while Papa Rooster listened to the mortgage guy explain what we were signing, I talked to them about the

There's a moment in the musical Charlotte's Web when Wilbur the Pig realizes that he can talk. Naturally--since it's a musical--he bursts into song: I can talk! I can talk! I can actually factually TALK! Isn't it great That I articulate? Isn't it grand That you can understand? We've had a similar metamorphosis at our house. Bantam2 has gone from communicating the bare essentials in one and

Today is a momentous occasion for Bantam12. He's flying on a plane, for the first time, alone! It's kinda cool how this worked out. Father Rooster has a conference for work this whole week, in Las Vegas. It's the same one that was in Orlando last year, when I joined him on the last day and we stayed over the weekend and went to Epcot and Warner Brothers. So he asked if I wanted to join him

So besides Godspell, we had a few other things going on in the past week.... My mom, dad, sister-in-law and two nieces were here for four days--what a treat! It was the first time Summer had ever been to visit at our house, so it was fun showing her around and taking her to our "mother" church--the church we attended for 16 years before starting the church plant. (Father Rooster was at Light of

I've been too busy to mention it, but Summer is here!--with her girls and my parents. She got to come to Opening Night of Godspell and to the cast party afterward, thanks to my parents watching her girls and Bantam3 tonight. (When did he become Bantam3, you ask? Tonight, or today, or however you want to call this after-midnight hour. But his birthday won't be observed till Sunday, when we

My daughter's new husband has been going to church with us since they began dating. Tonight he came forward and was baptised. We couldn't be happier. I'm so glad to see as they make their long journey through life, they will be traveling on the road together.

Hallelujah! Amen!

In our first non-story, no miscarriage so far. Some Braxton-Hicks-like false alarms, but that's it. Thanks for your prayers as we continue to await God's perfect timing. A time may come for medical intervention--but that time will not electively be scheduled for the next two weeks, which are packed with Godspell dress rehearsals and performances, family visitors, a painter at my house, and

First of all, thank you so much for all the lovely comments on my blogging anniversary post. What encouragement to keep going! (And if you haven't said hello yet, it's not too late!) Each note has been like a little gift to be opened. I am so blessed to hear from so many of you. It's my first chance to post something in the New Year--and also my last day of Christmas break. Yup, our two

It's the Christmas season for the next 12 days, until Epiphany begins on January 6. Laura at 10 Million Miles is celebrating with daily posts based on the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," which can be used as a children's catechism. She's posting a simple explanation of each symbol and sharing ideas for teaching it to little ones. What a great way to celebrate the Christmas season! ***

I am at Panera, where they have great coffee, my favorite bagels and free wireless. I'm supposed to work on the family Christmas letter, but all I can do, it seems, is pray for Blondechick15 and Bantam8, who were both called back for speaking parts in Godspell! Auditions were last night. There were a record number of kids auditioning--147--for 90 parts, which meant 57 kids--over 1/3 of those

...to tell you about our family photo shoot yesterday! First of all, just let me say it took me almost a year to finally accomplish this, more if you count how long "call Kim" was on my to-do list before I finally approached her last November. Kim is a friend from church, a mom of three who has been easing into the photography business. After we talked last year, I decided we'd wait for

As most of you know, we've been trying to sell our house so we can move to Wisconsin, where the church plant is that we'll be leading. Well, our house has been listed with an agent for four months now. Before that, we had two months of a half-hearted For Sale By Owner effort while we were getting it ready to list; so altogether, we've been trying to sell it for six months. In the past two

The phone rang at 7 a.m. this morning, an hour before I was planning to get up. The caller ID was no help; could it be a realtor wanting to show our house later in the morning? "Hello, this is [young friend of Blondechick's]. Is she there?" "She's still asleep." (Said without hiding the fact that I too had been asleep moments earlier.) "Oh, I'm sorry! So haven't you guys looked at the cast

And now for a change from book reviews... On her blog, Drama Ditz, my daughter just posted the YouTube video of herself doing a commercial for the TV special a family friend is producing. Our middle four children will be in it, as well as a number of family friends. I doubt it will be widely aired outside the Chicago area, but you can all get a taste from the commercial. So, go watch a little