Out From Under ...




Hi folks!! Again, my apologies for taking so long to get around to posting, but I am just now truly feeling like I am getting out from under a series of issues including, but not limited to, moving, studying, and health issues for the entire family.

We moved just about a month ago and, while hectic, everything went as smoothly as could be expected. We had planned on moving in with my in-laws and putting all of our stuff into storage that we didn't need immediately. Those plans changed or the better when we found out that a family in need wanted to rent our house completely furnished and ASAP. We moved out on March 22nd and by the beginning of April, they moved in to our house. They had a fire in their home and were in need of temporary housing (6 months or so) while their house was being rebuilt. It was a blessing for us to have a nice Christian family move into our house and a blessing for them as it met their needs and was bigger than an apartment. They have settled in nicely and we are glad to have them.


Meanwhile, on the new homefront we got ourselves organized (partially) and we have been working through boxes over the last three weeks and are now, finally, relatively organized. Part of the slowdown in getting organized was the fact that everyone in the family has been sick over the past month. I started out with a migraine that landed me in the hospital the day after we moved in (no big suprise). The stress of everything just did me in. After I got out we were well for a week or so and Isabella came down with something (high fever for several days, etc.). A few days after she got sick, Silvia came down with a bad cough, fever and general yucky feeling. We took her to the doctor on the 18th and found out she had walking pneumonia. So, after some heavy duty antiobiotics and cough syrup (the good stuff) she is feeling better now and re-gaining her strength. We also took Isabella back to the doctor on the 19th to make sure that what she had the previous Monday was not related to Silvia's pneumonia. She was fine. The following Monday, Olivia came down with a high fever. We took her to the doctor last Tuesday and they ruled out everything, but her fever didn't let up, so we took her again this past Friday and they did more tests and said she was fine. Her fever finally broke this past Saturday. So (knocking on a big piece of wood), we are fine now and looking forward to a string of good health in the household. I think my in-laws were regretting their decision to invite us in after this string of health concerns. I know they were eating a lot of garlic to keep the sickness away!!


Anyway, all is well in our household now and we are praying for a healthy May. Hope this post finds all of you in good health and enjoying the Spring weather. I promise to post more regularly from here on out.

God is Good!

All right ... I recognize that it has been over two weeks since my last post ... my apologies, but we have been rather busy. We officially moved in with mom and dad Lepore (aka Nonna and Pop-Pop) last Saturday.

Since that time God has been doing some amazing things. Early the following week we got a call from a friend who knew a friend who needed a house to rent while their house was being rebuilt after a fire gutted their home. A tragedy indeed, but thankfullt no one was hurt in the fire. Anyway, they were anxious to see our house (even in its dissheveled condition). So Silvia showed them the place on Tuesday and they loved it. They also wanted us to leave all of the furniture, being that they had nothing of their own. So, I ended up writing a lease up on Wednesday night and e-mailed it to them. They are waiting on approval from the insurance company and want to move in next week. What an answer to prayer. They are going to rent it for much more than we had planned on renting it, but they are getting all of the furniture to use as well. So, it is a "win-win" situation and is undeniably God's hands at work.

Otherwise, the transition has been going well. The girls have adjusted nicely and mom and dad have made it all so easy for us. I did get a migraine at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning that put me in the hospital until Tuesday morning, but I could have almost predicted that.

Anyway, enough for now. Keep us in your prayers and we will do the same. All I can say is that God is good all the time!

Love,
The Tindall's

Season of Change ...

Hey folks! Isn't it nice to see, at least around our parts, that there are signs of change on the horizon. The forsythia bushes are starting to turn yellow. The crocuses are sticking their purple flowers out of the ground and the daffodils are getting ready to "spring" to life.

Well, as nature changes so do our lives sometimes and we are preparing for a change in our family as well. We are moving at the end of this month (March). It might seem sudden, but we have been considering it for a while and it is something that we need to do as a bridge to our next phase as a family. I have started a new job, but it won't be until the second half of the year that I start making money as it is a commission-based job. So, in the interim we are going to move out of our townhouse and in with Silvia's parents. This will allow us to rent our current house and make some money there. We have always planned to rent this house when we move, we are just making an extra step along the way. We will stay with my in-laws until we are financially ready to buy another house and then we will move again. We are putting most of our furniture into storage in one of those PODS, so when we are ready to move, they will just put the POD on a truck and deliver it to our new location.

We covet your prayers during this time. We are confident that this transition will go well, but are more concerned for the girls than anything else. We just pray for a smooth transition for them as things will be a little different than they are used to. Oh, by the way, Hunter is going to live with my parents during this transition, so that will be a little different as well.

We will keep you updated on our search for a new home and we hope to be in a new place within 6-8 months. We are truly blessed to have family to support us in this way as it will be a big change for my in-laws as well. Pray for Sam and Tina's sanity with two preschoolers running around their house all day.

Love to all,

Jeff and Silvia

A New Trick for Hunter ...

It's not too often that Hunter's name reaches the blogosphere, but today he is certainly worthy of mention. For those of you who don't know Hunter, he is our 9 year old 100+ pound Golden Retriever who puts up with just about everything in this house (Picture below).



He is truly a great sport, especially since he was here before the girls. He has adjusted to the being ridden like a horse, having his tail, ears, whiskers and other more personal parts yanked by his well-intentioned red-headed "friends".

Well, today Hunter tried to learn a new trick, thanks to our ever-helpful Olivia. Hunter is trying to learn how to blow bubbles with bubble gum. Not easy for a dog, you say? No, not easy at all, but Olivia figured it was worth a try. Silvia was looking for Olivia (as she does hundreds of times a day) and it was quiet in the house (that's never a good sign for parents of toddlers). She finally walks into the foyer where she finds Olivia, with a pack of gum she had found in Mommy's purse, sitting on the floor next to Hunter feeding him stick after stick of chewing gum (wrapper on). Hunter seemed quite pleased with the new treat and we haven't seen any signs of digestive distress yet, so I guess all is well. I wonder how long gum stays in a dog's stomach, because I think it stays in a human's for 50 years or some nonesense.

It was nearly impossible to reprimand Olivia, because it was just too funny and she thought she was being a friend to Hunter. And Hunter will take any attention he can get, since he is the odd man out most of the time as far as attention goes.

I will give you any updates if I notice any remnants of Trident coming out the other end. It is truly amazing this dog has survived this long in this house.

Feel free to share any interesting pet stories that might fall along the same lines. They are always good for a laugh.

Let it Snow ...



"Swiper" the snowman is complete


Well, it's almost the end of February and we just got our first significant snow of the season. It was just enough to have some fun in and build a mini-snowman, but Isabella had a blast doing it! While Olivia slept, we all went outside to make our snowman, named Swiper, between the snow and the freezing rain that came later. Isabella was very emphatic that the snowman had to have a bottom, a middle, and a head, so that's what we made.

Hopefully, we'll get another more significant storm so we can do some sledding, too.



Mommy, Daddy and Isabella all assembled the snowman


Gotta have the carrot nose


Proud of her creation


It's always fun when mommy helps!

Happy "Love" Day ...



Yes it is a contrived holiday created by the card retailers, but we took some time nonetheless to share our love for each other as a family last week. We started the day with Isabella's school party and her first set of Valentine's cards (don't worry, I am checking out these boys already). Later in the day, flowers mysteriously arrived on the doorstep for mommy and daddy made dinner for all of his girls. Chicken piccata, fusilli pasta and brocollini with some special treats for dessert. We then open some cards and little gifts and called it a day.

Isabella seemed quite excited about the day, especially the school aspect of things, but it turned out to be a good day for all of us. And we can never express our love for one another enough, can we?

Fun Cousin Sleepover Night ...



It's become an annual tradition at the Tindall house. Each year, as part of their Christmas gift, we have all of the cousins over for a special activity and then a sleepover at our house. It's neat to see the dynamic change each year as new kids are added and the older kids keep growing and changing!

We had a great time this year (even though it was pouring rain), as we went to Creation Station to use our creative abilities to make some masterpieces. We had a blast doing that and then ventured back to our house for a movie and popcorn before heading off to bed. Saturday morning brought breakfast and time to hang out until moms and dads came to pick up their respective kiddos.

Thanks to everyone for coming and making it a special night for all of us!

Finally ... A "Super" Bowl !!



I don't know about anyone else, but I was so relieved to watch an excellent Superbowl for a change. I can't say it was easy (it was the hardest thing I've done in a while), but rooting for the Giants to beat all odds and crush the pompous Mr. Brady and the brilliant Coach Hoodie was a lot of fun.

To see the Giants defense dismantle the "cheaters" offensive line and drive Brady into the turf was a real treat! New England has had this coming for years now (since they beat the Eagles, actually) and although I won't be able to stand listening to Giants fans gloat for the next year it's so much better than the alternative.

Now, let's re-build the Eagles and go out and crush the Giants next year. By the way, does anyone think this might be the end of the Patriots run? I think things may unravel in the offseason with more of these cheating allegations and they may never be the same again.

Well, at least I can hope, can't I?

Weekend Getaway ...


A reminder of the beauty of God's creation


It's wonderful to get a break from the every day respsonsibilites every so often and refresh yourself. We had that chance to take a quick trip to Ocean City, NJ with some friends last weekend and enjoy some wonderful food, great company, and a little bit (okay a lot) of fun in Atlantic City (without losing any money).

Thanks to Steve and Tami for offering their beach house as a great place for us all to crash. Thanks to Donna and John for teaching us a new card game ( and lightening our wallets). We had so much fun, but it was way too short!

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!



Interesting napkins at the Old Homestead restaurant in A.C.


The calimari was fabulous!


Donna did a wonderful job learning
chopsticks, with a little help from J-Bird


Four "sisters" enjoying dinner



Breakfast the next morning at Uncle Bill's


Claudia ready to enjoy her breakfast



Another beautiful ocean view with A.C. in the distance

What a Week (Part II) ...

I knew I should have never posted on Friday declaring the family "Healthy". It was just bad luck. One person in the family hadn't gotten sick yet ... me! And sure enough come Saturday morning it was my turn. I woke up with a headache that progressed through the morning on a very bad day to get a headache. We were scheduled to go to a wonderful wedding of a friend and neighbor of Silvia's family who they all grew up with.

I first tried to deny the headache, but it became much more apparent through the morning that this one wasn't going away. Silvia had to make the decision to cancel our plans to go to the wedding and instead we went to the E.R. (an equally exciting place for a Saturday). We were very blessed to have my niece Jesse coming up to watch the kids for the wedding, so she stayed and filled in very nicely. She was truly a Godsend. Thanks, Jess!

The long and short of it that they admitted me overnight to get the headache under control and I came home this afternoon feeling much better.

Thanks for your prayers to all who knew what was going on. I am not going to say we are all better anymore, but for now God has calmed the storm and we continue to place all of our faith in Him alone.

Have a wonderful and healthy week!

What a Week!


Isabella fell asleep on the ottoman before we could
even get her into bed

You've heard the expression, "Thank God It's Friday", well we are truly thanking God that it is Friday, after the week we have had here in the Tindall household.

Monday was fine and we were moving about our normal routine quite nicely. A little sluggish from the weekend, but other than that no problem. Olivia was playing around nicely ... until ... she woke up from her nap and (there is no pretty way to describe this) started barfing all over the place. Out of nowhere we went from calm and collected to CHAOS!! These lovely events continued through the evening and even after we put her to bed. We were in her room probably 10-15 times throughout the night and our little "Livvy Love" (who always has a smile on her face) looked so sad. These are terrible times as a parent, because we couldn't help her, it just had to run it's course. So we loved her, held her and did the best we could.

Tuesday morning, she woke up looking and feeling a lot better. She was lethargic, but we were able to give her PediaLyte mixed with water and she started to bounce back with only a few moments of sickness.

The rest of Tuesday was relatively uneventful, but Wednesday brought us Round 2. Isabella got up from her nap saying her belly hurt and within an hour she was "worshipping at the porcelain throne". At least she is old enough now to know when it's going to happen and get herself to the bathroom in time. She went through much the same routine as Olivia, but by bedtime she was pretty much done with the active sickness and slept restlessly through the night. She skipped school on Thursday and they both played together nicely. What I haven't told you about round 2 is that on Thursday morning, Silvia went to get out of bed to tend to Isabella and her muscles in her back tightened up so badly that she could barely move and felt severe pain in her chest. I watch way too much TV and thought she was having a heart attack, because she had pain in her chest and couldn't breathe. So I ran to get her an aspirin and was ready to call 911 if necessary. After it subsided enough that she could talk, she told me it was a muscle thing, not a heart attack (thank God).

So we managed to get her to the couch downstairs where she spent the morning. Thanks to her sister Anna, Silvia was able to limit her activity in the morning while Anna watched the girls. I, in the meanwhile, was studying for a very important test that I have to take next week for my new job. In the afternoon, we got everyone to nap time, I gave Silvia a muscle relaxer and she went for a good night's (afternoon's) sleep. I, also had to venture to the family doctor's Thursday evening for a digestive problem that I was having as the result of pain medication that I am taking for my knee pain. I won't get any more graphic than that, except to say that all is well now.

Today, we all seem to be doing better and we are thanking God for His healing and His comfort during our time of need this week. This week was truly one for the record books.

Stay well, wash your hands frequently during this sick season and we will pray that your family stays healthy. Here are some pictures of Isabella during her bout with the bug, they are sad, but totally expressed how she was feeling.



Poor Baby!


Isabella gives us her "zombie" pose

Is it January or June ...


Ashley, Brooke and Isabella found something amusing

The PA weather has been so warm for the last week or so that it is actually seeming much colder today than it really is. I hear we are due for some colder (seasonal) weather starting next Sunday, but who knows anymore.

Anyway, it made for a great playdate last week with our girls and their beautiful twin friends Ashley and Brooke. Mommy and Miss Karen got to hang out and catch up in the beautiful weather as well. Thanks Karen for being such a great friend and host!

Let's hope the rest of this winter stays this nice, but I think we will get slammed at some point (probably April or May).




Who can swing the highest??

Olivia found her way to the top

They are such beautiful girls and great friends!

Our little monkey on the monkey bars