The Sleep Fairy arrives (Amanda)

Some of you know we have battled sleep issues with Ryleigh, somewhat beyond the normal toddler not wanting to go to bed. When you combine all the change (moving, traveling, starting preschool), it's no surprise she has trouble sleeping. But when you add the confusion arousal and the multiple trips to our bed, not only is she not getting sleep (which makes the confusion arousal worse, which means less sleep/ more exhaustion, which means worse sleeping issues... you get the picture... vicious cycle), neither are we. The exhaustion is starting to take its toll on all of us. We just need sleep.

We got a little bit smarter a few weeks ago and made Ryleigh a "nest" (a blanket and pillow) on the floor next to our bed. Sometimes you are just too tired to deal with whether she's in her bed, as long as she lets you sleep! Now at least we aren't being kept awake by kicking and tossing when she's finally asleep.

Of course, there are also the million visits out of her bed before she ever goes to sleep. Those, I guess are normal. But when your sweet angel is anything but angelic because she's SO tired, and her eyes look so pathetic, and she spends half the day yawning and telling you how tired she is, and yet cannot go to bed... In our online search for help, we stumbled across The Sleep Fairy. So we are trying it. It finally arrived today. I don't want to get my hopes up, but my little girl is in bed, and I haven't heard a peep out of her. She seems clear on what is acceptable (getting up at 2 am to go to the bathroom) and what is not, getting up ten times for another drink, etc. Anything that involves her not waking up in her own bed tomorrow morning means no visit from the Sleep Fairy.

In case you're curious, the Sleep Fairy (whose name is Macy), leaves little presents under the pillows of little boys and girls who stay in their beds all night. It starts out with little gifts (hair bows, stickers, lollipops, etc) every night, then every other night, then once a week, etc. Yes, we are bribing our child to sleep. But she is so tired, we are so tired, and we will try anything. We've tried it all! And despite all the tantrums involved in the hour before bedtime and how tired and cranky Ryleigh was, the story of the Sleep Fairy calmed her down. She seemed to take it all in, asked about how the fairy would get in, where the present would be, etc. She really wants that little gift. I'm so glad I recently found a bunch of my old trinkets from my childhood. I knew there was a reason I saved them all these years. Remember jelly bracelets and tiny flocked teddy bears? Oh yeah.

Sweet dreams, my friends. And pray that Macy the Sleep Fairy helps my child find restoring rest. Dear, sweet Ryleigh needs it so badly. And so do her mommy and daddy.

Our First Visitors (Amanda)

So yesterday we had our first visitors that weren't family since we moved to PA. To all of our east coast friends out there: You should feel bad; they came all the way from France!!! Just kidding. But we did find it slightly entertaining that the first of our friends to come visit came from so far away. Of course, they didn't come to the U.S. just to see us and are currently staying at her dad's in Lititz...

We had a great time with Jill and Fred and their twins, Ben and Alex, and Jill's dad who came to visit us at the farm last night. We had a wonderful meal together, and Ryleigh and the boys enjoyed running all over the farm. We got to know Jill (and her twin sister Amy) soon after we moved to Northern Virginia, and then Jill married Fred (she met Fred while studying abroad in France). They lived in NoVa for a couple of years after the wedding but moved to France a few years ago. We have missed them dearly in that time. And two years ago in July they added Ben and Alex to their family. We haven't seen them all since the boys were little babies, so it was really fun to see them at this age. And I loved hearing them call Jill "Mama" with their little French accents. Do you think I could teach the girls to say it that way? It was very sweet!

Jill, Fred, Ben, and Alex: thanks for taking time during your visit to come see us. It was so great to see you again!

Good Day!

Sunday was great day. We spent the afternoon at Green Lane Park at their Scottish Irish Festival. It's a thee-day event, but I guess Saturday was pretty much a wash-out. Anyway, we had a great time walking around. Ryleigh loved watching the "beautiful" Irish dancers. We spent time in the kids activity tent, where Ryleigh used potato stamps to paint a picture (glitter in the paint), glued pictures (and more glitter) on a "coat of arms," and decorated a princess crown with jewels and (you guessed it) more glitter. It was all about the glitter! We enjoyed sharing a fresh lemonade and a scone with strawberries and whipped cream. Ryleigh also enjoyed all the dogs, large and tiny, that were around the park with their owners. We discovered the great playground and swings at the end of our time, and of course, the swings were full, and despite quite a wait, she never got a turn. (The bummer of that is that on Monday we went to the little playground up the street, and while the swings were empty, they were too hot to sit on!)

Needless to say, the fun-filled day wore the girls out and both were sound asleep before we left the park! Ryleigh didn't even wake up when we carried her in the house and laid her on the couch.

Beautiful Ryleigh (Amanda)

We had a very full morning getting photos taken at Portrait Innovations. They are so great! Anyway, here are my faves of Ryleigh:

The photographer really did a great job of capturing Ryleigh's personality. The rolling on the floor is an act of defiance, and yet it's so cute. And the expression on her face in the pics with her hands on her hips and the spinning one -- so Ryleigh! She's all attitude! That's my Ryleigh!

Beautiful Ashtyn (Amanda)

We had a very full morning getting photos taken at Portrait Innovations. They are so great! Anyway, here are my faves of Ashtyn:

Feeling Hopeful... (Amanda)

It's been a while since I've blogged, partly because it's been a busy time around here -- check out our other blog at www.buttervalleyharvest.com, and partly because I just haven't felt like sharing. Emotionally, the transition to life in PA has not been easy for me. Keeping up with the girls, the housework, the things I should do, the things I want to do, etc. has been a little overwhelming at times. We still haven't unpacked everything. Yes, we have too much stuff. And I've spent a lot of time staying up too late and then being exhausted!

Anyway, today I am feeling hopeful, for the first time in a while. For some reason, God suddenly gave me peace about life yesterday. I was riding in my dad's car (we celebrated Ben's birthday in Philly last night, and we rode with my parents), having one of those random conversations with myself that I tend to have more frequently than I care to admit. Anyway, I just decided I was tired of feeling depressed about what I was missing, and that if this is really where God wants me to be, then he must have a reason, so I should just go with it. It's always better to go with God than against Him. He always wins anyway, and it's much easier to just go with Him right away than fight it and end up in the same place anyway, just a little more scarred by the journey.

One of my biggest discouragements was feeling like we would never find a church that felt like home. Since most of our close friendships, support system, etc. came from our connections at Fairfax Community, I feel like without a church home, this will never feel like home. We've visited several churches nearby and been disappointed in some way by all of them. We found out last week that the one we were considering visiting again is losing its senior pastor, so that wasn't something we wanted to get in the middle of. We were starting to feel like we wouldn't find anything where both the music and the preaching measured up to Chris and Rod at FCC.

So today, we decided to take a little longer drive to church and visited Branch Creek. We were so blessed by the worship and teaching this morning. We are still in discussion about whether it is a distance we want to drive once or twice a week, especially since it will be even further away once we move over near the farm. I don't want to visit again until we decide that distance is OK (it isn't that far). I don't want to get even a little attached. But I think today, whether or not this eventually becomes our church home, I just needed a service I didn't feel the need to criticize somewhere along the line. I was able to just relax and enjoy the time. The service felt a lot like FCC, and that was just what we needed. At other churches we've visited, there was a point in each service where I felt uncomfortable. I never felt that way here, and for that I am so grateful. And hopeful.

Please pray that I will be able to continue in an attitude of peace and hope. Pray for our church home, wherever it ends up being. I feel better today than I have in a long time, so please pray that my spirits stay up. Blessings to you, friend!

New Beginnings (Amanda)

Today was another day of blessing. We held the official groundbreaking and dedication for Butter Valley Harvest this afternoon on the Ehst Homestead Farm. The last two days since we arrived home from the Derstine Reunion in New Hampshire have been full of stress, anxiety, and activity as we prepared for today. I am (and I think we are all) so glad it is over. I just finished looking through the pictures Aunt Barb took today, and was able in the quiet of this evening to just reflect and feel blessed.

Blessed because so many family and friends came to be with us today. Our siblings, our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles, our cousins, and many friends from the Bally community joined with us in prayer and praise today. It was such a joy to share the history of the Ehst farm with everyone and know that now I, too, am a part of that story. As we talked about the things that were added, changed, and modernized by various generations of Ehsts, it was crazy to think that someday, our great-great-grandchildren may talk about us and the beginning of the hydroponic (or Soilless Environmentally Controlled Agriculture) farming on the land.

As we stood on the ground where this week, excavation will begin for the greenhouse foundation, it was a privilege as well as a humbling experience, to be surrounded by everyone as we committed Butter Valley Harvest to God. We sang "Great is Thy Faithfulness" as an expression of all the God has already done in and for us and the generations who came before. Greg Bowman shared some thoughts out of his passion for locally-grown food, the environment, and his God before offering a sweet prayer on our behalf. Then we planned for three generations of Ehsts to break the ground (Pop, Dad, and Ryan). But generation #4 wanted in, too. Ryleigh helped to break ground after her Daddy. It was really special. Then Melissa led us in a responsive reading she had put together. Uncle John Ehst gathered us all in close for a final prayer. Those moments were really special as our friends and family huddled around us, lifting us and the business to the Father. Uncle John Derstine led us in another song "Be Thou My Vision" as we looked forward to God's continuing guidance. The afternoon ended with everyone gathered in the yard, sharing refreshments and fellowship.

I haven't had a positive attitude about this in a while, especially this last week or so. Today was very humbling, very blessing, and I am very grateful. If you were part of our day and are reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting us and believing in us. And Aunt Doris, if you read this, thank you so much for your words. At least I know, when the tears fall, that I'm not crazy! :) And for all of you out there who couldn't be with us today but have been lifting us in prayer, thank you for that. And please continue. We are so grateful for your support.

Just another note about the smaller, funny ways God sometimes lets us know he's there. This past week (while we were away), someone put up really nice roadside signs along Route 100 that say "Now entering the beautiful Butter Valley." Most people drive through the area and don't know it's the Butter Valley. This felt like an affirmation of our use of the name in Butter Valley Harvest. And now people will know when they drive through, where they are. It's just a little thing. But it's kinda' cool. And it's just a little reminder that God is present in all things.