Memorial Day Weekend with Family

This weekend Joshua and I drove up to the Central San Joaquin Valley to be with my extended family. We enjoyed a wonderful time at my uncle's farm. We learned that blueberries grow on bushes and if you have never picked them right off the bush and popped them into your mouth, you've never truly tasted blueberries. They were fabulous.

I also enjoyed a family-filled wedding for one of my younger cousins. We gathered in Fresno on an uncommonly comfortable afternoon. I hadn't been at a France clan gathering for a couple years so it was fun to catch up with family from across the country. Here's a picture of the cousins and their spouses who were able to attend. The trick is to figure out which 4 married into the family. A hint -- there are tall genes in my family. Pretty good looking group, don't you think?

Today Joshua and I took a final long walk around the farm with the dogs, visited Joe the donkey, played with the new puppy and then headed for home. We got caught in some of the weekend traffic, but it wasn't too bad and since we were listening to "The Dragon Slayer" and "Harry Potter" (the first book) on tape, the trip was very manageable.

Three more weeks of school and then it's summer vacation!

Sheryl

Book Fair

Today I got to volunteer at the Book Fair at Joshua's school. I was there when his class came in and so I got to help Joshua select some Spanish books to purchase. Of course Joshua wanted to use his own money for a special purchase. Here we are and he is proudly holding "Bionicle Adventures: Web of the Visorak." I get to read this to him each night.

Sheryl

The Wrong Way to Lose 5 lbs.

After making it through Monday without getting Joshua's stomach flue, I figured I was free and clear of those germs -- Wrong! Tuesday I woke up feeling a little queasy and didn't eat much for breakfast. By 11:00 a.m. I was crashed out on the couch trying to get comfortable and stay awake till 12:30 when I needed to pick up Joshua from school.

After getting Joshua I tried to stay on the couch to keep him company while he did his homework, but I eventually ended up in bed. I had 100.3 fever and ached all over. I encouraged Joshua to go out and play with his friend but he said, "No, Mom, I need to stay and take care of you the way you took care of me." What a sweetie.

The really disappointing part of being sick was that I had to miss Open House at Joshua's school. Fortunately my dad was able to come down and take Joshua and see all the projects he has done this year. I also missed an important meeting at church, but such is life.

I'm feeling better this morning, but a little weak.

Sheryl

"God answered my prayer"

This afternoon after a couple hour nap, Joshua came out and announced, "Mom, God answered my prayer. He made me better from my vomiting." Amen! This morning was rough with Joshua feeling too miserable to talk on the phone when Jon called or listen to me read or watch TV or anything except to have me sit next to him on the bed. I was so glad when he finally fell asleep. Thanks to those of you who were praying with us. Joshua has been back to himself all afternoon.

Sheryl

Catching up on the news

Thursday I took Joshua "hiking." It was getting late in the afternoon so we took a local hike up the San Juan Creek. We started off in the creek but didn'’t stay there long because it got too wet and I didn't want to get my new hiking shoes wet. We tried to find a way out to the horse trail on the north side of the creek. This was tricky cause of the undergrowth and we had to make our own path through low scrubs and small trees. It was quite an adventure. We finally climbed up the bank and got out on the path. We were walking east on the trail when Joshua saw a coyote about 100 feet in front of us. The coyote probably got scared by all our noise in the brush. He headed off east on the trail loping along but moving pretty quickly. We didn't see him again but were excited to see a wild animal so close to home. Joshua really wanted to cross the creek so eventually we had to get our feet wet. We ended up crossing the creek -- walking through the water 4 or 5 times. We hiked east for about 45 minutes and then headed back. We came back in the creek bed. It was a rough walk cause the creek bed is sandy and gravely. But it was fun to be out and to really break in my shoes.

Friday Joshua and I had our regular movie and pizza night. Our DVD player just broke, but we can still watch VHS tapes. Of course you can'’t rent VHS tapes anywhere so we went to a local thrift store that had them on special for $2. We found some great kids videos and got 4 for the price of 2 rentals at Blockbuster.

This morning we were planning to head to the FSEA Rocket Competition. I have worked for Future Scientists and Engineers for 9 years and this is an annual event for us. To learn more, check out our web site at www.fsea.org. Joshua loves the rocket competition and we had invited some friends from school to meet us there. So it was very disappointing when Joshua woke up at 4:00 a.m. sick. He spent the entire morning vomiting, so we stayed home.

This afternoon my mom was heading north after a quick trip to San Diego and offered to stop by to watch Joshua so I could get out of the house for a break. It was wonderful timing. I was able to help send off the team of 16 from our church who are headed to Malawi on a work trip. To learn more about this you can go to this web site: http://www.scpres.org/misc13366.asp. I was able to go on our church'’s first trip last year so it is wonderful to see the vision being passed on to another group of people.

Home now and Joshua is eating a cracker --– his first food of the day. Hopefully this was just a 12-hour bug and he'll be back to his old self by tomorrow.

Sheryl

San Juan Elementary Kinder Show

Last year at this time, Jon, Joshua and I entered San Juan Elementary School for the 2-Way Immersion Kindergarten presentation. Joshua wouldn't let us out of his sight. Jon and I were a little overwhelmed, felt alone and a little nervous. Now a year later, Joshua runs off to play with his friends as soon as we get to the school. I walk through the crowd looking for new faces and talk to three families who will be enrolling their children in the 2-Way Immersion program in the fall. It is great to belong to this wonderful community.

The children sang one song in Spanish and Sra. Unzueta, Joshua's teacher, explained various tools used for teaching in the Immersion Kindergarten. It was a short, sweet program. Here's Joshua afterwards. Yes, he likes learning Spanish.

Sheryl

Mother's Day Picture

Thanks to my friends Sharon and Bob, I now have a digital camera that works. Thanks, guys! Here is a picture of Joshua and me with all my Mother's Day gifts. What fun! More pictures to come.

Sheryl

A good Tuesday

Last night I started thinking that I had overdone it by letting Joshua go to school and participate in Tae Kwon Do in the afternoon. After dinner he was complaining of a headache and seemed flushed. He watched the video we have of Jon reading "The Shining Sword" -- Joshua's favorite bedtime story. Then I got him to bed early.

He slept about 11 hours. I got him into a warm, steamy shower for 10 minutes this morning and after breakfast he seemed like his old self. I haven't gotten any calls from school, so I assume he's doing fine. Thanks for your prayers. You can continue to pray that he stays healthy cause we've got lots more going on this week.

Sheryl

The sorta sick boy

Joshua has had a runny nose for a few days and last night he started to have a cough. I got the humidifier going in his room, gave him that extra drink of water and put him to bed early. Around midnight he had a nightmare and woke up crying, coughing -- he was a wreck. I brought him into bed with me so that the rest of my night could be interrupted by his talking in his sleep. :) This morning his breathing didn't sound good so I just let him sleep and called the school to report him sick. He slept an extra hour and a half and then took it easy on the couch for an hour or so. But by 10:00 he was starting to drive me crazy and so I told him he either needed to go to bed or get dressed and go to school. He disappeared in his room for a few minutes and came out in his school uniform. So off we went. He missed a couple hours of school, but doesn't seem to be that sick. I was able to help a little in the class, since I usually volunteer on Mondays and then I was able to come home and get some of my projects done as well.

A lot of fun things are scheduled for this week including a class playdate tomorrow and the Kindergarten Presentation (where all the kids sing in Spanish for the parents) on Wednesday night. Please pray that Joshua gets over this bug quickly or that it doesn't slow him down too much. Thanks.

Sheryl

Mother's Day as done by a Community

Today was one of the best Mother's Days of my life. I was celebrated by so many people for the entire week. On Tuesday good friends from church -- Claire and Pam -- took Joshua on a "secret" shopping trip. Then on Thursday moms from Joshua's school -- Melissa and Rhonda -- presented me with a beautiful and useful Mother's Day gift basket. Saturday, Ken, a father from Joshua's school invited Joshua over to play with his friend Alex for the day. I was able to enjoy a luncheon at my mom and dad's house with friends. I then got to do a little shopping before picking Joshua up. Ken had generously taken Joshua and Alex out to buy flowers for their moms. That evening Joshua was so excited for me to open my Mother's Day gifts that he begged to let me open one. I opened a paper picture frame that he made in school with a picture I had sent to his teacher. It was perfect.

Joshua didn't wake me up until 7:00 Sunday morning and he remembered it was Mother's Day right away. He brought me a Mother's Day poem in Spanish that he could sort of translate. Then he brought out the gift he had gotten with Claire and Pam's help. I found out later that he had picked it out himself. It was a Willow Tree figurine of a little boy holding a gold heart. It was beautiful and I love it.

Jon was able to call us but the connection wasn't too good, so during our 20 minutes we were cut off about 5 times. It was great to hear his voice. The night before he had sent me an e-mail along with a picture of him holding a sign that wished me a Happy Mother's Day. The picture is now my computer desktop.

Sunday at church I had numerous invitations from good friends for lunch or just hanging out. But the winning invitation was from friend Cory who took Joshua fishing on Trabuco Creek. Cory is an experience fisherman and Joshua had the time of his life. He caught his first fish -- an 8 inch rainbow trout. I spent the afternoon on a long walk and then soaked in a luxurious bath. The evening was topped off with dinner at our favorite local restaurant -- Ruby's -- with Claire, whose husband and children were out of town.

What a day! I am so blessed by so many.

Sheryl

San Juan Elementary Spring Festival

Friday Joshua and I participated in the annual San Juan Elementary School Spring Festival. It ran from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the school. There were lots of games (shooting basketballs, the cupcake walk, obstacle course, sponge throw at teachers, bowling, baseball toss, etc.) and prizes for everything. The In-N-Out Burger truck came and served awesome hamburgers for dinner. Plus there was corn on the cob, cotton candy, and much much more. Most parents volunteered at various booths, so we took turns watching -- chasing after each other's kids. It was a lot of fun. There was some entertainment by students and other musical groups. A great evening.

More on my great Mother's Day Weekend in my next posting.

Sheryl

A new Tae Kwon Do belt

Last Saturday after the birthday party, Joshua got to go geocaching with my sister, brother-in-law and a friend. Then we rushed over to Tae Kwon Do where Joshua successfully tested for an Orange Belt. On Monday during class, Joshua was presented with a certificate and his new belt. Fortunately another mom had her camera and got the moment on film. Here's my proud boy.

Sheryl

New aspects to my site

Thanks to my brother-in-law Sonny, I have some new elements on my blog. Directly to the left of this posting you will see links to other blogs. You probably already have Jon's blog, but it is listed there along with our pastor Tod Bolsinger's blog "It Takes a Church." I highly recommend it. Finally there is a link to my sister and brother-in-law's Podcast about Geocaching web site. If you don't know what geocaching is, you are missing out. Think high tech treasure hunt. Check out their site, you might like it.

Today I am grateful for my good friend Steve who is painting the awning posts of our home, which the mobile home management has been concerned about. I would post a picture of him hard at work, but my camera has developed some serious problem and I have not been able to get it to work since after Joshua's party on Saturday. Thanks to Steve, we have beautiful white awning posts with a plan to clean up the rest of the trim on the house and railing around the porch. What a blessing!

Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for our family and support us in so many ways. You are a blessing to us.

Sheryl

Half Birthday Party

On Saturday we had Joshua's 6 1/2 birthday party. Since his birthday is two days before Christmas, this is the best time of year to have a party with his friends. We met at the park that is across the bike trail from our house. We had 46 people in attendance -- 25 were kids ranging in age from 2 to 8 years old. It was crazy, but a lot of fun. My mom, sister, brother-in-law and college friend all came early to help and many parents helped out during the festivities. It was kind of an "old fashion" party where the kids played games and ran around in the park. We had a pinata too. Joshua decorated his own cakes. The one in the picture has "Feliz Cumpleanos" along with a soccer player, soccer balls and stars. We sang the "Happy Birthday" song is Spanish and English. His "birthday hat" in the picture is one of the points from the stars of his pinata. He really was having fun, just didn't want to pose for a picture. :)

It was a lot of fun and it was great to have some of our church friends get to know some of our school friends. Joshua's friends were very generous and he is having a great time playing with his new toys and games.

On Sunday morning I am still exhausted, but it was worth it. One little boy from Joshua's class ran up and said, "Joshua's mom, this is the best birthday party anyone has ever invited me too." Very cool. Something to make a mom smile. :)

Sheryl

A pillow hug from Daddy

Before Jon left both Jon and Joshua made hand-print pictures and gave them to each other so Jon could take Joshua's hand with him and Joshua could have Jon's hand here at home. Well, before Jon left, Joshua told us that the hand picture "didn't work." He said that he had been missing Daddy that afternoon but when he put his hand on the picture of Jon's hand nothing happened. It didn't make him miss Jon any less.

Well, today Joshua got something that "really worked." I heard about a couple military wives who make pillows with pictures on them. I sent in a picture of Jon and today Joshua was surprised to open a package with a pillow that had Jon's picture and "I love you" on it. He immediately hugged it and danced around saying, "It works, it works, it really works, I'm hugging Daddy." Oh, it was so worth whatever the pillow cost. :)

So here's my little boy with his pillow. I think he's taking it to school tomorrow to show his friends.

Sheryl

A long overdue posting

The past couple weeks have been more difficult than I had expected. Prior to Spring Break I felt like I was doing "okay." But then nine days with Joshua home from school found me feeling depressed and angry. A friend described me as "carrying my picket sign around." Yes, I have a right to be sad, angry, depressed, etc., but is that how I want to live the rest of this year? That is the question I had to seriously consider last week. My first thought was that it would be pretty sad to miss a year of Joshua's life because I was so absorbed in my own head. Then I realized, just like I tell Joshua almost every day, I can choose how I will respond to the life I have.

So I have chosen LIFE -- not just to live this year waiting for Jon to come home; not just wishing he were here; not being angry and resentful about the life I have; but to actually love the life I have. You know the song "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with"? Well, I don't approve of that philosophy, but here's my take on it -- "If you want the life you need (what's good for you), then live/love the life you've got." I think I have spent enough time missing the life I have right now, so I am planning to embrace this life from here on.

I will appreciate your prayers and encouragement in the days, weeks and months ahead. But I am confident that the God who is allowing me to have this life has given me the power to live it to the fullest. So here goes...

Sheryl