We were sent some more photos of you! What a treat! Nothing better than checking the computer and finding your smiling face...Enough to make the whole hard day so much better! Looks like your leadership conference had a good lunch! We'll love hearing about it in your letter today.
Monday during the day it was so cold, our hot water froze. Somehow, between wash, dishes, dishwasher, showers, cooking...I should have left the water dripping? We boiled water for bathing and washing dishes, and left the wash alone. School Monday and Tuesday were cancelled, due to the extreme cold temperatures, and school Wednesday was a two-hour delay. Your brothers were good sports, and handled their bucket bath, before school, well. There was a one pan allotment, and even Dad got his whiskers shaved before his bucket had cooled. By Wednesday the weather warmed, and our frozen pipe thawed, revealing three burst spots, wherein water began pouring out of them into the garage. Thank goodness for Larry! He knew how to turn off the water at the street level, with three of his BIG wrenches (no wonder people call the fire department for stuff like this!), and then when the landlords gave him permission, he fixed the pipe. So we were without any water most of Wednesday, but by 9:30 p.m. the showers began, the smell faded, and the Schenewarks were ready to go!
FYI Mutual is now on Thursday, so as not to compete with the other ward over facilities, etc. It's also earlier, beginning at 6 p.m. Sometime Thursday evening, this story evolved:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — At least 100,000 customers in nine West Virginia counties were told not to drink, bathe, cook or wash clothes using their tap water because of a chemical spill into the Elk River in Charleston, with Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declaring a state of emergency Thursday for all those areas. The chemical, a foaming agent used in the coal preparation process, leaked from a tank at Freedom Industries, overran a containment area and went into the river earlier Thursday. The amount that spilled wasn't immediately known, but West Virginia American Water has a treatment plant nearby and it is the company's customers who are affected. The don't-drink-the-water declaration involves customers in the counties of Kanawha, Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam and Roane. Most of the counties surround the capital city of Charleston, where there was a chemical smell similar to licorice in the air both outdoors and in areas where it had already reached the water supply on Thursday night.
While we weren't directly affected by this leak, being a bit upriver, the thought of going without water again is overwhelming. Imagine having water in your home but not able to use it! It's hard to store enough water for a large family, and I definitely underestimate the true amount I would need for an extended period of time. Today they still don't have water, the parts per million is still too high, and the leak is moving down river.
By Friday our routine was fully established once again. Two days of seminary this week, and the week was over! We spent the morning at Cooper's quiz bowl tournament. Fairland would win or lose - by a point - and were finally ousted after two losses, finishing third in the county.
We also got our VW Jetta back from the repair shop. What a long haul! They've had the car since before Christmas. It's nice to have a few more wheels to use around here. The three older boys played basketball at the church with six missionaries, a few friends, and a few members - 21 total. They come home SO tired it's wonderful!
Saturday morning Cooper participated in his first all county band solo competition. The fact that Cooper spent his lunch hour in the band room practicing for this solo impressed us, as he did it of his own accord. Of course he had a few buddies that were in there as well, but we were pleased he chose to better himself this way. We kept checking the website all weekend, but his results have not been posted. We'll keep you updated!
Sawyer is the only one with a basketball game this weekend, as Miller's age doesn't keep score, so no need for an end-of-the year tournament, and Cooper was in the band competition. Sawyer's team went undefeated the whole season, and through two tournaments (16-0). I love their coach! He is staying with the team next year, so Sawyer will get to play with him again (4th-5th graders). He also made all stars, and will begin next week. Maybe. He was accidentally tripped and fell on one finger. He thought it was broken, so we spent the afternoon visiting medical facilities. The doctor told us it wasn't broken, but today we received a phone call from a radiologist who thinks we need to see an orthopedist, so we'll be visiting Cooper's hand doctor (I wonder what he thinks of the Schenewarks in his frequent flyer program!) in the morning.
Sawyer was given his HUGE jaw breaker from a cousin in Texas, and has been whittling away on it here and there. He thought you might enjoy seeing it, and basking in its planet-like beauty ;-)
Today in church both Cooper and your father spoke. I always love listening to your Dad talk. Cooper did a great job. And I quote,"Breyer truly believes she's a princess. She spends time every morning getting ready for her job of being a princess. She brushes her teeth, with everybody's toothbrushes, puts a lot of clips, bows and bands in her hair, chooses which necklaces and bracelets to wear, uses chapstick and lotion, and finishes off with the hair dryer. She has her princess duties to fulfill and works hard getting ready. If everybody knew as well as Breyer knows she is a princess, that they are children of Heavenly Father, and got ready for their role as well as Breyer does, what would they do to "Come Unto Christ?" He was asked to speak on the new 2014 mutual theme, "Come Unto Christ."
Even with those wonderful speakers, these little urchins had a hard time being reverent, and got to practice on the couch today after church. Can you tell it helped? At least they look good being naughty! The reason? They stayed up late with the older brothers watching the New England Patriots win their divisional round by rolling over the Indianapolis Colts 43-22. There were even conversations with your grandfather on his couch in Massachusetts watching the same game. He wanted to know how he could get a hold of some of our popcorn! No.more.late.games!
Dad is reading "Building Leaders: West Point Way" by Major General Joseph P. Franklin, as your cousin Evan is there. I haven't read the book, but in reading the introduction found this quote I loved: "Leadership, according to Joe Franklin, comes from 'common sense and accumulated wisdom.' Trouble is common sense doesn't turn out to be all that common, and wisdom can be elusively hard to accumulate." You are young, and collectively have yet to accumulate a lot of wisdom, so be sure to draw upon support from others with experience. Ask your missionaries if they could change one thing, what would it be? Or, what is the best way we can help you? Thought provoking questions will always get to the heart of the manner the quickest. We're proud of you, the leader you've become, and the leaders you're helping to develop.
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