My obsession with the Amish

What do you think about when you think of the Amish?  For me, the first thing that used to cross my mind was they were the people in simple looking clothing who didn't believe in cars and drove a horse and buggy.  I've had a fascination with the Amish for a few years now.  I watch all the TV documentaries on them and here is just a little of what I've learned about them. 

Amish speak Pennsylvania Dutch which is like German.
They believe in signs and everything that happens good or bad is a sign from God.
We are considered the "English" world.  They call everyone who aren't Amish, English.
There are 13 or so different kind of Amish communities and each community has different rules and bishops.
Old order Amish are the severely strick Amish
The men grow beards when they get married.  Wearing a ring is considered vanity so they grow beards to represent their marriage.
All Amish only have an 8th grade education.
They drive a horse and buggy.  No electricity. No modern technology. 
The Amish consider themselves Christians but yet they believe that you cant know for sure that you are really saved. 
When the kids are 16 they have the opportunity to experience what the Amish call Rumspringa. It is a period of time in which the kids can go out in the 'English' world and choose if they want to live the Amish life or if they want out of their Amish communities. 
They can leave their Amish life but that also means leaving all they have known.  Leaving their families.  The kids parents, church and bishop will shun them and never talk to them again. That's the kicker for me.  How can they disown or shun their child?  I look at my girls and I could never ever ever and I mean EVER disown them.  They may do some dumb stuff growing up and make some bad decisions but that will never mean that I wont be there for them.  I can't fathom what that would be like and if the parent ends up supporting their child then the entire community will turn their back on the parent as well.


There's your Amish lesson for the day. 








Enjoy your family~

He left on a jet plane...

The day has come.  The day has gone.  The day was hard.  Extremely, extremely hard.  I didn't want to let go of him when it was time for the final hug.  I wanted to hang on for hours and hours but I knew I couldn't.  I wanted to sneak him out of the airport and return home with him.  I am proud and honored to be his wife.  Deployments are hard but there is also a sense of strength I feel with each passing day.  The feeling of 'I can do this.  I will do this.  I am doing this. I am proud of myself.' Right now I'm taking it day by day.

 

Thank you everyone for all their prayers and support during this time.  The car ride back from the airport was pretty raw.  There I was in the front seat crying, Ava was in the back seat crying and Emma was patting Ava's shoulder trying to comfort her.  Once I made it to a place I could safely pull over, I stopped the car, opened Ava's door, bent down and gave her a big long hug.  We spent the afternoon at my parents and besides the breakdown I had in my mom and dad's arms, I didn't cry the rest of the day.  I could feel everyone's prayers over me and it was comforting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe will still be in the US for a few weeks for some training before he heads overseas.  We are able to video chat with him each night before the girls go to bed.  It's making it a smoother transition for my girls.  Thank you again for everyone's continued thought and prayers.  I truly appreciate it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your family~



                                                                                 

I love you Joe

"A part of you has grown in me.
And so you see, it's you and me
Together forever and never apart,
Maybe in distance, but never apart."

                                - Anonymous

Joe's Buddy

 As soon as she opened her eyes to look at him, It was love at first sight.

 

 

 

 

 Daddies Girl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your family~ 

Orange Power

This past Saturday we went to watch the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  This specific game was special to me for a couple reasons. 

1. It was great seeing Joe watch the Cowboys. Having our incredible seats didn't hurt either.  I love going to the games with him and going to this one was especially sweet since it will be the only game he will attend this season. 

2.  My dad went with us.  It was his first ever OSU football game and it was such an odd thing to see him in an orange shirt.  Normally, he wears Crimson.  But, like the great man that he is, he donned the shirt and I think he secretly enjoyed it.  :-)

It was great being able to spend the day with the 2 men that I love the most in this world.  What's equally as great is seeing the bond that is growing and continues to grow between the two of them.  They have mutual respect for each other and its wonderful to see them nurture the 'in-law' relationship.  When Joe and I started dating he was taken aback by how much my family truly loves each other and how close we are.  At first he thought we were fake.  He thought that no family could really be the way we were.  Slowly, we started proving him wrong and he began to realize how much the original Fournier foursome means to each other.  Years later, add in 2 husbands and 4 kids and we all love and respect each other.  My family is the absolute best in the whole world.  I am glad that Joe gets to witness and be apart of my family. 

 

 

                                          

                                        

                                           

 

Thank you Dad for going to the game with us.  We had a great time and hopefully started a tradition. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your family~

Recipe: The best Roast you will ever eat

Ok, you have GOT to try this recipe.  I got it from my dad who got it from Williams Sonoma's cookbook.  If you are a meat lover, you will love this recipe.  If you are not an alcohol drinker dont fret, the alcohol gets cooked out.  If you are an alcohol drinker... well then enjoy a glass of red wine with your meal or an after dinner Manhatten. 


3 lb chuck roast  (We buy ours at SAM's, much better bang for the buck)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 C. finely chopped yellow onion
1 C carrots shredded carrots.  Plus a handful of carrots not shredded.  I use a handful of baby carrots.   Much easier
1 C celery shredded plus 2-3 stalks cut up
3 cloves of garlic- chopped.  Again, I use REAL garlic. Not jarred.
3/4 C. dry red wine (like a Pinot Noir or Cab Sav)
1/4 C. Brandy
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 dry bay leaf
2 C. beef stock

Preheat oven to 325

Pat the roast dry with paper towels.  In a large, heavy duty dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil.  Add the roast and brown well on both sides, about 8 minutes total.  Using a large fork, transfer the meat onto a platter. 

Reduce the heat to Medium.  Add the butter to the dutch oven and stir until melted, then add the onion, garlic, shredded carrot and celery. Cook, stirring occsionally until the onions are softened and golden.  Around 8-9 minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat, add the wine and brandy, place it over high heat and bring it to a boil.  Stir and scrape up all the browned bits that are on the bottom of the pan.  Turn off the heat and add the tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper. thyme and bay leaf.  Return the roast to the pan and add the beef stock.  At this point I add in my extra carrots and celery. 1C or so...   Bring to a simmer.  Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook until roast is fork-tender.  3-3 1/2 hours.  Turn the meat over after 1 hour and then again after 2 hours. 

It is delicious!!!!!







Enjoy your family~

I had an extremely hard weekend. 

The deployment packing has begun and it's really starting to sink in that Joe is leaving.  I will be a 'single mom' in just a couple of weeks.  As much as I have been preparing for this trip and mentally prepared myself it's still hard now that the time is here.  As I have said before, this trip will be the longest one he has been on and I am having hard time wrapping my head around it.  I am having a hard time wrapping my head around that he wont be here to go to the pumpkin patch with us, he wont be here for dinner each night, he wont be here to put Christmas lights on our house or set up the Christmas tree.  He wont be here day in and day out and even with my family willing and able to help out I still feel alone.  I have cried everyday the past 4 days.  I have not (yet) cried in front of my girls or Joe so its just an agonizing time alone with me, my thoughts and my tears.  Repeat: Me, my thoughts and my tears.  I have always been one to hold my emotions in and not talk about them.  The reason being when I do start talking about them the waterfall starts. No one can understand a blubbering idiot who is doing the ugly face cry and trying to explain to them why I feel sad.  So, instead I work through it alone.  I write.  I have always written out my feelings.  I need to learn to cry in front of people but I dont want to be looked at as weak.  I don't want to be a burden on people.  My mom is normally one of the only people on the recieving end of the blubbering phone calls and she always says the right thing at the right time. 

Joe and I have different ways of preparing for his trip. His way of preparing = he doesn't want to talk about it or think about it.  He just wants to go treat everyday the same.  My way of preparing = wanting the extra hugs, cuddles, I love you's.  I want to take pictures, spend extra family time and continue to talk to the girls and prepare them.  I want to hear that its okay to be sad and scared and that everything will be okay.  I want to be able to cry in front of him and not have to hide it from him because he wants me to be strong and I want to be strong for him.The difference between Joe and I when it comes to emotional stuff is extreme. 

As Emma sits next to me playing with her baby dolls she is singing 'This is the Day' and again, I am tearing up.  As much as that song is a kid tune and I have heard it countless times through out my life, the words are still true.  This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.  I will not be getting through this trip without Him and I need to rely on Him to get me through and rejoice in it. 


Stick with me!  It may be a bumpy couple of weeks.....







Enjoy your family~

The innocence of a child

               

                                                                 

When you really stop to think about it the innocence of a child is precious.  They depend on you to provide them food, shelter and clothes.  Their job is to finish breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Go to school, do homework and play.  My girls have a few small chores they complete but other than that those are their responsibilities.  They have no idea what kind of world we live in or how dangerous it is "out there"  Yes, I teach them about "stranger danger" but that's the extent of it for now. Our job as their parents is to shield them from the bad parts of the world until they are old enough to understand what is happening.  Keep their life simple, don't stress them out, love and protect them and keep their innocence intact as long as possible. 









Enjoy your family~

I think I can.... I think I can.... I think I can...

 

The beginning stages of deployment packing has started

EJ

(Old school Emma)

 

Today I am thankful for my Emma. I am thankful for her everyday but today I am even more thankful. Sweet Emma is just that, sweet. Her tiny body with her light hair and dark dark brown eyes. Joe better watch out during her (and Ava's) teenage years.

Miss Emma has many nicknames:  EJ, short-stack, beauty queen, Emma Jo from Cocomo, Emma J, Spaz and the list keeps growing... Originally her name was Emma Paige but while we were in the hospital we changed her middle name to JoElle. Now, I cant imagine her name being Emma Paige.  Her main nickname is EJ and EP just doesn't sound as good.  I'm thankful Joe talked me into changing it. 

Depending on the situation/occasion she has different personalities.  She is more like her sister than she is opposite.  Most siblings are polar opposites (ie: me and my sister) but her and Ava have a lot of the same qualities.  They are both stubborn.  We have a house full of stubborn mules and at times it can be too much to handle.  They both have to be right and they both want to win the argument or win the race.  Not everything HAS to be a race.  Brushing your teeth doesn't have to be a race.  Who cares who can dress the barbie faster.  Its not a big deal if Ava finishes her grapes before Emma.  They constantly are competing against each other.  As much as they are the same, they are also very different.  Emma is more shy.  She is more of the follower.  She is more quiet (at times) than her sister and she is Ok with playing by herself where as her sister needs constant interaction.  Emma is more reserved and it takes her awhile to get used to change. 

This past week she started preschool.  There are 16 kiddos in her class, 12 of which are girls.  Bless her teachers and bless the 4 boys mingling with all those girls.  I am thankful she loves her school.  Some times its a hit or a miss with her. She is scared of some things and school is normally one of the things she gets nervous about.  On her first day she walked right in and started playing with toys.  She gave me a great big bear hug and kissed me bye.  She wraps her skinny arms around my neck and I kiss her cheek about 20 times.  Her light brown curly locks tickle her face and she pushes the hair away from her cheeks, puckers her little lips and lands a kiss on my lips.

I picked her up from school and she told me all about playing with her new friends:  Emma and Ava.  That's right.  You heard me.  That's what I get for naming my girls top 10 most popular names. 

 

 

 

 

                                                    

  I love you my precious Emma! 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your family~



 

 

 

I wont give up

I wont give up

By: Jason Mraz

Take 4 minutes and listen to this song.  Even if you aren't a "balled" person.

I wont give up on us, even if the skies get rough

I'm giving you all my love

I'm still looking up