Happy Birthday Daniel!!!

So this is a few days late to post, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL! I love you.

This has been yet another busy, but fun week. On Monday we had a family that we met when we first moved to Manila stop by. They are one of those rare couples where Daniel gets along with the husband just as well as I get along with the wife. We spent a lot of time with them our first few years in the Philippines and they have an amazing family. They have four kids and they are probably some of the best behaved kids I have ever met. Kate (the mom) is one of the big reasons why I wanted to take the bible study Growing Kids God's Way. Just about every time I would mention something about how well behaved her kids were she would credit God using that bible study to help them. After they left the house I told Daniel I felt like in just the few hours that they were in town I learned a lot about how to implement some of the things I had been struggling with after taking the course. So all that to say, I had such a great time seeing them and their kids and felt so refreshed after they left. I wish I was able to be around them more, but was very grateful for the time I did have with them. It was also fun to see JoAnn play with their kids. They left the Philippines when I was pregnant with JoAnn and other than when Tom came out to Manila for a missions trip a couple summers ago we haven't seen them since, so he was the only one that had met JoAnn. Here are JoAnn, Alli and Simon while they were playing outside.


Then on Wednesday, JoAnn had been playing outside with grandma for a while and saw Aunt Katy in the pool. So, they joined her and when I saw they had joined her I decided that it was time to take Isaiah swimming for the first time. It took a while for him to really get an idea of what was going on, but once he figured out he could splash in the water he really enjoyed it. He got to the point where I had to put him in the raft because he was kicking and moving his arms so much that he was hard to hold on to. This is him with his makeshift hat. I couldn't find a hat for him to wear that wasn't bright pink, so Daniel's mom got out a handkerchief and made our own.
Then tonight we had Daniel's cousin and his wife over with three of the people they work with. They live in Canada and work with a kind of group home for mentally handicapped adults . I hadn't met his wife yet, so it was fun to meet her and to meet a few of the people they work with.

At times I feel like this is more of a bed and breakfast than my in-laws house. I don't think I have ever seen this many people come and go from the Bucher house since I met Daniel 8 years ago. It's really kind of crazy when I sit down and think about it. It makes me appreciate how hospitable my in-laws are. I have said it many times before, but I don't think I have ever said it on here...I am beyond thankful that God has blessed me not only with a family that I love so much, but also with in-laws that I love just as much. He really has given me such a wonderful family.

Finally

I finally feel like I've recovered from the last week, except for still feeling sick that is. It actually all started not this past Friday, but the Friday before. Daniel and I had invited some of our friends over for dinner and what I thought would be a nice fun evening with some friends turned out to be a house full of people. As it turned out that same day one of the men that Daniel's dad works with in Liberia was in the US and came over for dinner. Since there were a lot of people who would want to see him they invited a few couples over to have dinner with him. All that combined with the fact that there are already 7 people living in this house made it over 20 people at the house for dinner. It was a fun, but busy night. We were able to see a bunch of people that we haven't seen in a long time and catch up with friends, but it was definitely a house full of people.

The next morning my parents came over for a while to celebrate JoAnn's and Daniel's birthday. It was great to see them and to be able to spend a few more hours with them. I cannot say enough how great it is to live so much closer to family and friends. For Jo's birthday my parents got her an adorable little bike for her to ride and she loved it.

It's a little Dora bike that has a bunch of buttons that make noise when you push them and she kept riding for a minute and then stopping to push the buttons. It was pretty funny. The other funny thing was that the driveway sort of slops a little when you get over to the side by the lawn and right where it slops there are a few trees. Every time she got going over that way she wouldn't be able to stop and would always end up in the grass headed right for the trees. I don't know why I thought it was so funny but I laughed every time.

Here are my parents with both the kids.

On Saturday I was determined to make a cake that I could eat since I need to avoid not just milk and soy, but also eggs, wheat and nuts since Isaiah seems to react when I eat those and then nurse. So I did a little research and found a recipe for a wheat, soy and nut free vegan chocolate cake. I felt a little daring and made barley flour chocolate cupcakes. I was pretty excited since it actually wasn't bad. I will say I would never choose this over a regular chocolate cake, but it was definitely a suitable substitute until I can eat wheat again.

On Sunday the Buchers got together to celebrate all 5 June/July birthdays. Not everyone was here since Daniel has a sister in Alabama and a brother in California, but 3 out of 5 of his siblings were here and his Aunt and her family also were there. So once again there were well around 20 people at the house. Although it makes for a very busy house, I love getting everyone together. All 6 grandkids were able to spend some time together and it was so fun to see JoAnn play with her cousins without being shy. Here are the 6 of them.

I wish I had a better picture, but this is Daniel's cousin Caley playing with JoAnn and Isaiah. His aunt had to have surgery and they live in North Carolina so the whole family stayed at the house this week. I think both JoAnn and the girls liked to play. They spent a lot of time together. The girls and their dad headed back to North Carolina today since one of them starts school on Monday.

Monday was JoAnn's actual birthday. We didn't do much since we had already celebrated it the previous two days, but we did let her have more cake after dinner and giver her the presents from Daniel and I.

Tuesday I took Isaiah in to County Health to get a shot that he is behind on. While I was there they offered me a Tetanus shot, which it's been about 9 years and I wasn't sure when I would get the opportunity to get one for only $5 again, so I also ended up getting a shot. Then later that day we drove to Cincinnati to meet a couple that we went to college with and their kids. We were going to go to a Reds game, but Daniel fortunately looked at the weather report and saw that it was supposed to rain. In order to make sure we at least saw each other we decided to meet a little early at Dave and Busters to eat. We ate, hung out and played games. It was fun and their oldest daughter is about 6 months older than JoAnn so it was fun to see them play together. They have meet a few time before, but I wasn't sure that JoAnn would remember Izzie since they hadn't seen each other for a year. I don't think she did at first, but it didn't take long before she warmed up to her. Tanya and I sort of hung back with the babies while Daniel and Aaron played games with the older girls, but at one point the girls decided that they wanted to go on a roller coaster simulator while their dad's challenged each other to an air hockey game so Tanya and I strapped the girls in and started the ride. It took about 30 seconds before JoAnn was screaming for it to stop. I couldn't stop laughing because she was the exact opposite of Izzie who loved the ride. JoAnn is actually trying to get down in this picture.

By the time we left the restaurant it was pouring outside. So, we ended up just skipping the game, saying goodbye and going back to Indy. Which, ended up being just fine since on our way home, Isaiah was pretty cranky. At first I thought it was because he wasn't feeling good from his shot. By Wednesday I realized it was probably more than his shot since he was acting like he was actually sick. By Thursday night, I felt like I was getting sick and by Friday night I realized I was for sure sick. It isn't anything too bad, but I do have a very sore throat and a cough. I can't be sure since he can't talk yet, but I think it's the same thing for Isaiah. So for the last couple days I have been just trying to make sure this cold doesn't turn into anything more serious for Isaiah. Now for the next few days my goal will be that we don't get Daniel's aunt sick when she comes home from the hospital either today or tomorrow.

Since the last time...

First let me say a few Happy Birthdays...

I realized I never said happy birthday to Heather. Her birthday was back in the end of June. I'm so sorry I never said anything. I think the whole move thing threw me off.

This is the month of birthdays so I am just going to lump them all together right now and say a giant HAPPY BIRTHDAY to...my mom, Tony, JoAnn, Eli and Daniel. We are getting together with my parents on Saturday to celebrate with JoAnn and Daniel. Then on Sunday Daniel's family is getting together to celebrate Heather, Tony, JoAnn, Eli and Daniel, so I'm sure there will be more on all the birthdays soon.

Alright moving on, I don't really have any stories off the top of my head from the last couple weeks, but here is what we've been keeping busy with...

*Unpacking and getting settled. (I am still in the process of getting all the little things unpacked and quite frankly I'm getting tired of it, so I have been taking a day here and there off, which just makes it take that much longer.)

*We headed over to Ohio on the 5th where we spent a few days.

*I was able to spend some more time with my parents, sister and nephew. We also saw both of my grandmas, a couple of my cousins, and my friend Tammy and her kids.

*Ty taught JoAnn how to play on the slip 'n slide and also how to play in the sprinkler.

*We celebrated my mom's birthday.

*I saw one of the girls I taught with at Faith my first two years, Gil. She is from England and is now teaching in Cairo, so I hadn't seen her in a while.

*We came back to Indiana last Friday.

*Saturday we spent the morning swimming and hanging out with Ryan, Heather and their kids.

*Sunday was church again. Have I mentioned I really enjoy our church. I know it has its problems just like every other church, but it is fun to take advantage of the sunday school/nursery and listen to a good sermon in English. (FYI...Isaiah went to a nursery for the first time.) I think this will be big for me for a while.

*This week Daniel has been working at a basketball camp a the IBA.

*Last night JoAnn went with Daniel's mom to see my nieces, Avery and Ella, swim in their last swim meet of the year.

Here are a few pictures from our time in Ohio...

She wasn't so sure about the slip 'n slide at first. She's a little spoiled in this area, she's only ever played in a pool or the ocean.

The 3 grandkids on my side. JoAnn, Tyus and Isaiah.

My dad trying to teach JoAnn how to play the video game she got from Tammy and her kids. (By the way, she loves it. Thanks so much Tammy.)

JoAnn still loves holding Isaiah.

*Oh. How could I forget. I finally got the diamond in my ring set again and my rings sized, so one of the most exciting things is that after months of not being able to wear my engagement/wedding rings I got them back last week and am able to wear them again. I'm so excited, it's like getting them for the first time all over again. Well, sort of.

Goodbye Philippines, Hello America

Just a warning this will be long...

Let's start by backing up to those pictures that I mentioned I found when I went to do my last post. Way back on June 8 (I had to look at the date stamp on the pictures in order to remember which day) Val, Michele and I took the kids to play up at the playground at Faith. It really wasn't too eventful, but it was the first time that JoAnn played on the swings and I love the picture of Seth. He loved to play in the gravel and dirt under the gravel. It was pretty funny to watch him, but only because I wasn't the one who had to clean him up. The other picture is JoAnn with Abby and Olivia in front of the condo building.
So now lets jump to Saturday June 26. I went with Michele and Val to a pregnancy clinic being held at the old Village Handcrafters place. First Love recently bought the property and Dave and Michele Clinton are helping to start some new ministries there, one of them being a free clinic for pregnant women where they can come see a midwife. It was pretty fun, they come and have a short bible study, get weighed, take their blood pressure, and a few more things to make sure there aren't any major problems. The midwife showed me how to feel for the baby's head and find their spine to know how it is positioned and she also showed me how to use the fetal heartrate monitor. That one I was content to let her actually find the heartrates. I didn't want to terrify some poor women because I couldn't find the baby's heartbeat. Then toward the end Val showed me how to take blood pressure and let me practice on her.
I have said for some time now that I would love to get some nurse's training, purely from the practical standpoint and the clinic just reinforced that idea. Who knows some time you may see Susan Bucher, RN. Well, we'll see, math education and nursing don't exactly have many class requirements that overlap.

The next day we went to the Arthur Center for church one last time and we had lunch with Pastor Better, his family and Jack and Nelli after to say goodbye. This is everyone except for Jack.
It was hard to say goodbye since I couldn't say "I'll see you in ___ months," like I normally do.

Monday and Tuesday were spent packing and running last minute errands and Tuesday night we got together with the Manthe's and the Clinton's to celebrate Olivia's birthday and to say goodbye. These are the girls that JoAnn spends most of her time playing with when she is playing with other kids. Starting with JoAnn and going around the table we have Jo, Olivia, Kenzie, Abby and Bella. I know Jo will miss playing with them, but hopefully she will have just as much fun playing with her cousins now that we live just a few minutes away.
Mylene and Yannah were also there and Isaiah loved all the attention.
Here is Daniel with Josh and Dave and then me with Val and Michele. We all came over around the same time back in 2005, have been involved in many of the same ministries and have had 6 kids born between the 3 families. It has been fun to go through many of the same experiences together over the last 5 years.



Two more people we had to say goodbye to on Tuesday. Ate Ida and her daughter Ruth. They have been a huge help for me around the house and with the kids for the last three years. It will be difficult to not have them around especially since JoAnn has come to really love them.
After we said all of our last minute goodbyes and packed a few more things, we got up extremely early Wednesday morning and headed to Ninoy Aquino International Airport to get on a plane that took us to Nagoya, Japan, then another that took us to Detroit and finally one last one that brought us here to Indianapolis. If any of you have ever made that trip you will know that it takes about a total of at least 21 hours from the time you take off in Manila to the time you land in Indy and it can be brutal. I have had many things like young children, food poisoning, pregnancy, plane delays, etc. make the trip quite interesting, but things actually went quite smooth this time. The kids did about as good as you can expect them to do and Daniel was able to play magical chairs with people so that he could sit next to us (no, the airline did not seat us together when we booked our tickets). Then to make it even better once we got to the airport we had some of the best customer service I've had since we started flying this route. Anyway, here we are waiting in Manila to take off.
This was JoAnn's favorite sleeping position while we flew.
You can't really see it well from the picture, but she was actually standing bent over the seat. I didn't get any more pictures, but on the other side we were greeted at the airport by Daniel's mom, dad and sister Katy as well as my mom, dad, sister and nephew. It was so fun to see so many people right away. Later that night we also saw Ryan, Heather and their kids.

Then after a few brutal jet lagged nights where we didn't get much sleep, we went on Friday to Meridian Hills with Daniel's parents, Heather and her kids to celebrate the 4th. It was so fun we got some good American food, listened to music, saw some animals, had some ice cream and popsicles and ended the night with fireworks. They also had some of those big blow up bouncy things for the kids to play on, but JoAnn preferred the pony rides and popsicles. Oh and how can I forget they had balloon animals too. Here Jo is riding the pony with Daddy and Papa, showing off her balloon animal and then having a popsicle with Eli.

This is Heather holding Isaiah for the first time since he had been sleeping whenever she saw him before.

At the end of the night when the fireworks started I was so excited since JoAnn usually loves them, but she was so tired by the time they started that she was terrified and wouldn't let go of Daniel, who somehow managed to fall asleep during them.

I didn't get any pictures but on Saturday, Matt and Britt came over with their daughter Addison for a few hours. It was so fun to catch up and have the guys take the kids swimming. I have been looking forward to catching up with them for so long that it went by way too fast and I didn't want to stop for even a second to take a picture.

This morning we went to church for the first time since we got back and I loved every minute of it. I think that is always my favorite part about being home, next to seeing all of our family and friends that is. They had a great place to take Isaiah and feed him. It was great they had everything I could have needed for the baby including a baby scale...ha. I couldn't imagine why they had it and sort of laughed to myself, but I saw more than one mother using it. And there was a good sermon from the book of Matthew. As hard as it was to say goodbye to everyone, I am definitely excited to be home. Once again I am caught on that emotional roller coaster.