On the home front, life has been crazy and chaotic and normal. :) As we head into summer, Dave is starting to shed some of his school-year responsibilities, which is nice. And the major activity that awaits us this summer is the birth of "Sven". But we're still managing to have fun.
Jeffery is doing great with school. We're 95% convinced that we have found a curriculum for him to start in the fall....in addition to his ABCMouse. Dave and I are both really excited about the program as it is a lot of what we wanted for his age. I have started to homeschool Jakob with the preschool portion of ABCMouse. He is SO proud and begs for it almost every day. Jeffery is doing spring soccer....with the exact same team as he had in the fall. The Gators haven't lost a game yet (though no one is officially keeping score) and Jeffery normally delivers at least 5 goals a game. It is probably his favorite thing to do!!!! They keep us on our toes and laughing pretty much every day....especially Jakob who has turned into QUITE the comedian after being such a somber little baby/boy for his first 2 or so years. He is a handful....and an absolute delight!
Dave and I were honored to become godparents....for the second time in a year.....to the new baby of some of our dearest friends. Our boys are close friends with their kids and we have celebrated Thanksgiving the past two years with this dear dear family. And now, we're godparents to little Daniel Thomas. To be a part of this family in such a way, to have them entrust us with this little one in such a way...."being honored" doesn't begin to describe how we feel. :)
As many of you know, Ringling Brothers Circus is closing in May. They came through Richmond for their last show here in March and Dave was actually stopped by the train (a mile long) on his way to church one day. So, we went and found where the train was permanently stopped during their time in RVVA and got to say goodbye to the famed Circus Train.
The very day that my parents arrived, Dave had a special trip planned for him and Jeffery. Dave took Jeffery to his first NASCAR Truck Race.....at Martinsville Speedway, 3 hours away. It was a BIG deal! They left VERY early in the morning and didn't get back until after 10pm that night and Jeffery was on cloud 9!!!! He likes the truck races almost more than any other race. AND....by attending the truck race, you also got to see the other series's practice so he got to see Dale Jr on the track....which was HUGE. He was one happy happy little boy!!!!
We had a very educational Lent at the Pedersen house. The boys (and mommy) learned the "Ave Regina Caelorum" chant which we sang every night as a part of our night prayer. Jakob kept telling everyone that Jesus "fell into the dead but then rose" and the number of truly deep (for their age) theological conversations I had to navigate through with them throughout the season was astounding. Lent really struck a chord with them this year. But they didn't get much more handsome than on Easter Sunday. :)
If you recall, we lost one of our cats, Buster, last year about this time. His litter mate, Socks, remained and REALLY relished the fact that Buster was gone. We didn't realize how much of a bully Buster was towards Socks. HA! But sadly, Socks's health took a drastic and sudden decline a couple weeks ago and we had to put him down. :( The boys...especially Jeffery....were so sad. This past year had been great with Socks, who had suddenly become a very affectionate and attentive cat. He constantly interrupted night prayers with love rubs against all of us, would stand in the middle of the carpet while watching the boys play with their trains, and let Jeffery and Jakob chase after him. It had been a great year with him and we're sad he's gone. Now, we're left with the "original pet" (as Dave calls him).....Spike the Snake. How he has outlasted 2 rabbits, 2 dogs, and 2 cats is beyond me!
The boys are insistent that I include this in the narrative: we had to retreat to our downstairs coat closet....for the second time since living here....last week because of a Tornado Warning. This is a BIG deal to them. And of course, as it always happens, Dave was gone. It was not yet 7am and I was still fast asleep when my phone started to go off and an alert appeared that said "Tornado Warning. Seek shelter immediately!". Lovely. I had to quickly awaken the boys, get shoes on their feet and their bears in their hands, grab the lantern and head downstairs to the closet. We were in there for about a 1/2 hour or so before we were given the all clear. Like I said, it was a big deal to the boys!
An even bigger deal though happened just a few days afterwards....when, after Jeffery's soccer game, I took both boys down to Petersburg to see......the 611 train under steam. We have visited a stationary 611 at its home in Roanoke but every year at this time, they do excursions throughout the lower part of VA. And I found out that it would be coming up to Petersburg and staying for about 3 hours before departing again. So, while daddy was working, the boys and I had a special train date! And....we met up with their good friends which made the whole thing doubly special!
At one point, after our friends had left, 3 workers came to the front to have their pictures taken. I offered to take a group photo for them and afterwards, they turned their attention to the boys and talked to them for about 20 minutes about the train and pointed out different aspects of it. The boys were in heaven! They introduced us to the head guy who brought the 611 back to glory (a guy who I recognized because of a documentary on the train that Dave and I recently watched). And then, being so impressed with the boys' questions and comments and manners, one of the guys came back with official 611 hats for each boy and 611 books. It might as well have been Christmas for my boys!!!!!!!
We then saw her (the train, that is) build up steam....heard her low whistle....and watched her pull out of the station. It was a grand sight! Afterwards, Jeffery told me that I had broken his heart....with happiness. :) Hahahaha. I would say the day was a success! And Jakob was sure to tell Dave, upon our arrival home, that daddy was sooooo jealous of us! Which he was (Papa too for that matter).
And now, we are in wait and see mode for "Sven". Dave has a surprise up his sleeve for the boys early in June but news on that will have to wait until after that event has happened. And then we just buckle down and prepare for the addition to our family....not to mention Jeffery's 6th birthday....which he could very well share with "Sven".
So, like I said.....crazy and chaotic = normal! :) And we wouldn't have it any other way!
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