My Meat-Obsessed Fiance

Chris LOVES red meat. If I weren't reminded often enough, I'd say he loves it more than me :) But besides that, he loves to cook it too. I suppose it gives him some sort of satisfaction, that he's the one who cooked the meat that he's going to eat. He'd probably be even happier if he'd have been the one to raise and butcher the cattle as well. But that'll be a discussion between he and this city girl for later.

Exhibit A: Doug's birthday = steaks.

Though these may look like normal steaks, let me offer some perspective. That metal pan on the top rack? That's an 8-inch round pie pan. These steaks were gargan. And Chris ate one by. him. self.

Exhibit B: lunch on Saturday = Hamburger Royales. (not in my mind, but apparently hamburger with egg, cheese and ham on top is a normal Chris lunch)


This is Chris's hamburger family. His words - not mine. He asked me how big I wanted my burger, I said "as big as your face" (jokingly, mind you). But apparently that's how big he chose to make his burger! But to add that extra 2 tbsp. of meat -- that would have made it "too big". Again, his words -- not mine. Therefore, we have, the hamburger family. I ate my normal-sized 1/4 lb. burger. While Chris ate the remainder of the 1 lb. of meat. And an egg. And cheese. And ham.

Yep, my fiance, he likes meat. And I like him :)

Wedding Registries

Getting ready for a wedding is really stressful. So, as part of my list of "fun things" to do in order to get me a little more excited, Chris and I took a trip to KC to register. We had already been to Home Depot (where I followed Chris around writing down everything for the registry for about two hours). I figured that going there first would make him excited to help me. So, we started at Williams Sonoma. The woman sat us down on the display couch to fill out some paperwork. Once we completed it, Chris and I waited patiently for her to come help us continue with the process. I started asking his opinion on various pieces around us.

Issue #1:
Me: I really like this coffee table.

Chris: But it wouldn't be comfortable for me to put my feet on.
Me: Well, that's not relevant because that's not what coffee tables are for.

Issue #2:
Me: Which of these pillows do you like best? I like that green one.

Chris: Well, it doesn't look like something I'd want to lay my head on.
Me: It's for decoration. You don't lay your head on it.

Issue #3:
Chris (making a dejected observation): So, I guess you wouldn't light those candles, either?


Boys really are funny :)

Living With Boys

So, Chris and I are getting married. He'd probably prefer it if we move in together soon after. Problem is, I have a few reservations about the whole process. Here are the many cons that I've dreaded for the last 6 or so years:

Living With a Boy involves..

socks on the floor
3 meat-centered meals per day
beard trimmings in the sink
toilet seats left up
gender neutral bedding
drinking orange juice out of the carton
empty toilet paper rolls
double the laundry -- and it's smellier!
sports-centered television

As Chris and I are making plans for our marriage, I'm starting to reconsider a few of my fears. After all, living with a boy can't be that bad, can it? Here are a few of the positive aspects that I've come up with.

Living with a Boy's perks...

somebody to fix the toilet
somebody to reach things on the top shelf
somebody to kill the bugs
somebody to change light bulbs
somebody to snuggle with at night :)

Let me know if you can think of any more!

Prayer

This post unfortunately doubles as Chris's and my official announcement that we are getting married, and a plea for prayer.

First of all -- YAY! -- We're getting married! Here's our wedding website for more information on how he proposed, and future info on our plans for our nuptials :

www.theknot.com/ourwedding/chrisyoung&alexandranelson

Second of all, Chris and I are trying very hard with what little wisdom we have to plan this wedding and start our marriage off on a good foot. Though our intention was never to hurt anybody, or leave anybody out, that seems to be what is happening. It is an unfortunate consequence of our attempts to glorify the Lord. I want so desperately for every person I love to be at my wedding. I just am not sure if that will be possible. Chris and I are still working out the logistics. We're not sure how to include everybody and still plan based on our conviction from the Spirit, and the biblical Truths we have about weddings and marriage. We can't afford to pay for a wedding, and that seems to be what is going to happen as well. Chris and I hardly have time to see each other, with him working and in school all day, and me working two jobs and overnight. This is a time of very much stress, and emotions are taking the toll. But the last thing we want to happen is for our relationship with the Lord, our families, and our spiritual families to take the brunt of it.

So in turn, I plead for you to pray. Chris and I need wisdom desperately. It is so important to me to base my decisions on the Lord first, and go out from there. It seems backwards to do it any other way. Chris and I want to be able to reap the blessings the Lord has in store for us. We want to glorify him, and to share a clear testimony of him at our wedding, then also continuously through our marriage. So please pray for clarity of mind. Both for Chris and I, and for our families and friends that are hurting. Please pray for the Spirit to move in those who haven't come to know the fullness of God's grace. I desire with my whole heart to see the Lord work in this situation, and to use it to fully glorify Him. I have no doubt in my mind that He will use it for good. We just need peace until we reach the day of understanding.

Thank you so much for being there for me through this time, and for lifting this situation to Him in prayer.

Brand New Bookcase :)

He did it! It's finally finished! And I LOVE IT. Here is how it looks in my hallway:





Apparently the books being arranged by color doesn't matter to some people.. but I think it looks really cool! Anyway, you decide. Let me know! I'm very very pleased with how it came out. Now for a TV stand...

My little sister got married!

My sister Sam, that just graduated high school a few months ago, got married in May. She and her husband live in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He works in the army, and she works as a nanny for a few families on base. They just moved in to a house on base, and we are celebrating their wedding reception tonight. They are in town just for the weekend, and then my parents and brother will follow them down to their home to finish moving.

Because their wedding was so spur of the moment, they didn't have any pictures to document the event. So, Chris and I decided to take them out to Lake Shawnee to take some, and here's some of what we (I mean Chris) got:




I pray for these two every time I remember. I would love to have a sister that shared my same faith in Christ. Perhaps this is one of the stepping stones that the Lord has provided for that to happen :)

Sewing Adventures

I inherited some furniture from my very gracious parents in order to properly furnish my apartment 2 years ago. 2 years ago when I moved, the furniture was 15 years old. Now it was in style at some point I'm sure, but navy blue, forest green and burgundy plaid overstuffed couches are just not my style. Don't exactly fit with my decor. Therefore, 2 years ago I bought some really cool brown slipcovers in an effort to modernize them. However, despite my many efforts and constant tucking and tugging, these slipcovers... well, they slip alright. Covering is another issue entirely. One that these particular covers struggle with.

So now it's up to me to improvise! My roommate and I went fabric shopping with my mom, and found some really funky fabrics that we can use to cover the couch cushions and ottoman. I got ambitious the other day and made the ottoman cover.


The couches will stay "covered" (as best they can) with the brown slipcovers. However, the seat cushions will have slipcovers made of a coordinating striped fabric.



This picture has better picture quality for a more realistic color sampling. Both fabrics have the same shades of red, green, orange and brown. There are various shades of tan, blue and turquoise as well. I'll be excited to see it all put together!

My Sweet Boyfriend is in Ireland...

...but all of his gifts made it here just fine!

Chris and Scott are there serving the Lord at the local assemblies. They are attending the conferences and regular meetings, and Scott has the privilege of speaking some of the messages.

It was hard to drop him off at the airport. Mostly because we've spent time together every day since we started dating! I was prepared for 2 weeks of no talking and minimal contact at best. He promised to "call me every night" and "send me a postcard every day". I was more realistic (he would say pessimistic) and hoped for the best, but expected the worst.

Well, he surpassed those expectations -- as usual! Here are the ways that he did so:

Yellow roses are my favorite! So is baby's breath. And pink's my favorite color -- hence the vase, pink lilies and pink roses. I've never gotten flowers for no reason before! They were quite unexpected and very beautiful. I was definitely surprised when I picked them up at my complex's office! (And the leasing managers were jealous :) )
If you think of it next time you see me, ask me what I found out when curiosity got to me,
and I looked up the meanings of all the flowers included in the arrangement!

These postcards started coming two days after he left, and they haven't stopped yet!
(I adjusted them so you couldn't read about our deepest darkest secrets!)

It has been a long (part of) two weeks, but he'll get home this Thursday evening. Can't wait to go pick him up! Mostly because on a separate note, we made a bet that I couldn't last 2 weeks on only one tank of gas*. I have a little under a half a tank to last me 3 more days, including the trek to KC's airport! We'll see who wins.

*For all of you that don't know, I totaled my car. RIP '99 Acura 3.2 TL.


No worries though! It wasn't my fault, so the City of Topeka (who caused the accident by pulling out in front of me) will be reimbursing me for the damage, a new carseat (Ezra was in the car), and hopefully to fix my computer which needs repairing after it hit the dashboard during the accident. Therefore one perk to my boyfriend being in Ireland is that I can use his car while he's gone. I've come to find that may be the only perk, however.

A Few Months Ago...

So my friend Dani and I just moved into a new apartment! So exciting. It's slightly overwhelming to move. However, I've had much experience the last few years. I'm a seasoned expert -- if you want to label my moving skills that is.
However, one thing that is frustrating is re-buying groceries. Being a younger, unmarried person, I don't really stock up on very many things. But all the things that you have to purchase just to be able to cook! Spices, butter, flour, eggs, sugar, oil, wax paper, foil... and then you have to buy food to cook! It's overwhelming.
It reminded me of a much simpler time. Back in the day, when I lived at the Weatherford house. You see, once upon a time, there was an abundance of most everything at the Weatherford's. Though most days consisted of complaining that there was no food, Kristin and I made quite a discovery. Both of us attempting to avoid actual work (school, that is) decided to clean out the pantry. What we came up with was this:


While this probably doesn't top a lot of you mom's pantries, this is just a sampling. We found also an abundance of canned vegetables, various raw pastas, 3 bottles of maple syrup, 3 bottles of vanilla flavoring, about the equivalent of 8lbs. of Crisco in various forms and flavors. The list goes on! I found these three items the most impressive, however. **Keep in mind, only 4 girls live in the house that this pantry belongs to!**

9 jars of peanut butter


8 cans of tuna

Approximately a zillion instant oatmeal packets

Where did all this food go!? I have now 1 jar of peanut butter, no tuna, and maybe 8 packets of oatmeal. This new apartment may be cool, but the cupboards are slightly bare!

Sarah Leftwich (Oldberg) got MARRIED!

So fun! The wedding was so creative. It was great to get together with old friends, and spend an afternoon with the best date!

Us girls at the shower before the wedding.
Jess, Candace, Kylie, Me, Whitney, Kelsey and Paige down in front.

All dressed up!


Me and the bride. She looked beautiful!

We certainly didn't plan the color scheme, but it looks really cool!
Me, Candace, Sarah and Kylie.

"Bestest Estes Park"

Blame the cheesy title on Chris! It's what he labeled his facebook photo album, and it's pretty catchy. A fitting name for our mini Memorial Day vaca to Colorado. Quite the road trip! But it was a fantastic vacation. I've never been to Estes Park, CO. But we stayed in a really nice 5-bedroom house. It was me and Chris, his family and one of Brittany's friends, his Grandma Doris, and his Aunt Rachel and Uncle Dave and their kids, Ethan (5), Simon (3), and Clare (3 weeks). We did a lot of hiking, watching movies, playing games, and fellowshipping. There are some great pictures to show you just how much fun we had!

I'm not so much a fan of serious, cutesie pictures...


This one I was willing to pose for. We had just hiked up a gol' darn mountain!


The whole clan. Plus me.


Chris: If you aren't careful, you're going to fall in the creek.
Me: Surely not. I can make it across easily!
-30 seconds later-
This picture is of me, my right side soaking wet with creek water.
Turns out Chris was right, I couldn't make it across.


Beautiful landscape.


That's my boyfriend's work. You know, the awesome photographer!?

News!

So, I haven't been on to blog lately. I would say that it's because nothing blogworthy has happened (that's what I tried to use an excuse...). However, it's because TOO MUCH stuff has been going on. I have to catch up now. To fill everybody that hasn't seen me lately -- I have a BOYFRIEND now! It's so great. And now I suppose I should tell you all how we met...

Well, if you asked me, I'd say, "At Chapel". Apparently, according to Chris (my boyfriend), there's more to the story. If you want those details I would say ask him. I have no idea what he's referring to. As far as I know, I started going to Topeka Gospel Chapel last September. Me and a few of my girlfriends invited two boys named Chris and Thomas to come to our Life Group after we had attended church there for a few weeks. They started coming, and then we started hanging out more around Christmastime. At the beginning of March I started to be interested in Chris. My friend Dani and I spent more and more time with them, and by April we were dating! He's so much fun, and way more than I could ask for. I am so blessed to have him in my life! And I'm very excited to see what our lives as we grow in the Lord will look like from here...

Chris's and my first picture together

A few days in California... Visiting Grandpa Jim and Judy!

Spring Break is nice. Though I created this Spring Break -- I suppose that would make it self-made? I'm very self-sufficient. Going to my grandparents' house is so sweet! I love visiting them. They live in Redondo Beach which is about 45 minutes to an hour outside of LA. It's also about 3 blocks from the beach! These factors provide ample opportunities for entertainment. These are the ones that we've taken advantage of so far:

Trump National Golf Course
Wayfarer's Chapel
Crystal Cathedral
Del Amo Shopping Mall

This is in addition to a few local hot spots. For instance, the first morning we were here, we ate at a place called Joe's in Redondo Beach. This place was a seat-yourself diner that served everything from toast to omelettes, belgian waffles to flapjack stacks. It was fantastic! I ate off of everybody's plate. I had a some veggie omelette, some biscuits and gravy, home fries, fresh fruit, toast with jam, french toast, sausage. I loved it! Especially after being on a fairly liquid diet for almost two weeks..
Then, we took a tour of the Los Angeles area. My Grandpa Jim is a walking encyclopedia about most things. We saw the oil refineries, the harbors, and just about every shopping mall in LA and surrounding areas!

Like I said, part of what makes my grandparent's house so special is the fact that it's 3 blocks from the beach. The best thing to do every morning is wake up and walk straight down there. It's usually a bit chilly, but totally worth it!
Candace and Laura and I had a blast. So glad we went!

Family Fun

My family from Dallas was in town this past weekend. They are so much fun. My cousins are considerably younger than me, and it's more like having a niece and a few nephews. But, nonetheless, they are each quite unique individuals. They have such personalities!

Jake, who's 6, is just like his dad (my uncle Eric). In addition to looking like him, he is really smart. However, he's also competitive, clumsy, and argumentative. This makes for an entertaining weekend! A few of his favorite activities are playing the Wii (only if Carson plays hard enough to make it fun, and as long as CJ plays down to his level so that Jake can still win), throwing the ball around (as long as everybody else throws and catches correctly), and playing soccer (as long as he doesn't trip over his own feet). He was entertaining to say the least!

Carson -- the middle child. That says enough I think. He's 4 and he is ALL BOY. He is so ornery, and he's quite the manipulator. The first night he was at my parent's house, he had gone all day without a nap. Unfortunately, he talks and keeps his brother up, so he was downstairs with us until Jake fell asleep. When his mother (my aunt Sarah) told him it was time to go upstairs, his response was : "Wait Mom. Dad: Are you with me, or are you with Mom? Because I'm not ready to go to bed." He is hysterical -- and too cute!

Savannah is the baby. She is 2 and a half, and has already developed her own sense of style. About 8 months ago, she developed an affinity for shoes and purses. She has yet to outgrow it (unfortunately for her parents). We went shopping, and she walked through the store with exclamations such as "This is cute. This is pretty. I yike this!" whilst grabbing at each pink outfit within her reach. My only girl cousin is 18 years younger than me, but she and I still have so much in common!

What fantastic friends I have in Christ

My family is one of the things God has laid on my heart more heavily than any other burden. The Lord truly has taken the yoke for me a few times, and even protected me from some potentially hurtful situations. A few different times I have come to the conclusion that my family can't come to Christ solely by way of me. I need support systems surrounding them constantly with love, encouragement and truth. I have prayed for them without ceasing, and have had faith that the Lord will soften them beyond my imagination.

However, there are times of trial and tribulation. This week is one of them. It seems that Satan is attacking my family in a way I've never experienced -- or at least witnessed as one of Christ's followers. I just heard an amazing message last night on the Armor of God. One of the weapons that we are given to fight with is the sword -- "take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" Ephesians 6:17. This is one of the weapons among many others. Jesus uses this weapon as well. "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household'" Matthew 10:34-36.

This is so unbelievably evident I don't know how to handle it any more. I have been told by my father that if I truly loved and cared for my sister, I would not talk to her about God any more. If it's important to me to be friends with her then I need to leave that part of my life out of her and my relationship. He says it's because she's like him. He implies that I need to do the same for him. I'm called to pick up my sword though! I'm not supposed to come in "peace". I need to fight for tham out of love against the enemy. These passages are so encouraging. However, I heard a message recently of a pastor's testimony: He has been a pastor for over 30 years, lived a godly life, raised a family that is all committed to following the Lord. However, the family he was born into has yet to come to know Christ. His 90 year old father will not accept Him as his Savior. Am I so naive to believe that God will soften my parent's hearts, if even these people will not accept Truth? God promised me in Matthew 10 that he has not come to bring peace. What does this mean for my family? For my sister... my brother... my mother... my father... Will He allow them to come to know Him?

In seeing this, I am reminded that I have been adopted by God. He has his one and only begotten Son, and he has adopted the rest of us who call him our Father -- Galations 4:4-7. This is amazing, because my Heavenly family will never disappoint. Christ has been through the oppression and affliction that I experience. He hurts when I hurt, and He holds me through it all -- I can never escape from my Father's hand.

I have not only been adopted by God, but also by my friends. All my close friends have been raised in Christian homes. Homes where the love of Christ is displayed by their parents, or grandparents, or siblings. Most of the time, all of the above. This means they attended camps, and had Christian friends, and went to youth groups that were encouraging. They made life-long friends -- in addition to their families! This hardly seems fair to me. Because of my past, I have made all new friends. I have no family with my faith and foundation to lean on. No family like a solid rock to stand firm upon. But when I am surrounded by these friends, I am reminded that I cannot take them for granted. I was not born into this family of friends that I have been blessed with. They have chosen me, in a perfect reflection of the way God, my Father, has chosen me.

Should I be discontent? Should I need more? Is it okay for me to want friends AND family for Christian inspiration? Am I being selfish? I have been delving into the scripture to find these answers. Perhaps there are no answers. But please pray for my family. I hope God would understand that selfishness is as good a reason as any for me to long for my family's salvation.

A Lenten fast

For the last few years as I began my walk with Christ, I have chosen to give up something for Lent each year. Though this is a traditionally Catholic celebration (or holiday?), I have made it personal between me and God. 40 day fasts are very biblical, traced all the way back to Moses on the mount. I have taken it more seriously, as well. I discipline myself with my choice to fast from something that will grow me. It's not something simple, it's something I choose to trust God to provide. Because I don't struggle with a chocolate addiction, and because the television doesn't cause me to stumble, I don't choose these fasts for my fate. One year I was a vegetarian over Lent, one year I gave up facebook -- it's been quite diverse.

This year, with Lent fast approaching about mid-February, I began praying over what I would sacrifice for Lent. It was a particularly hard decision, as I knew I would face a bit of dissent (as Lent is a "made-up" holiday). However, when better to fast than the 40 days before Jesus first comes? After all, we are fasting over his return!

So, as if from God, I logged on to Facebook one day and had been invited to join a group called "40 days of water". Though this ministry was choosing to fast for 40 days, it didn't coincide exactly with Lent. As I read more about it I decided it was the best option I had for fasting.

For this particular fast, I (and the other participants) are choosing to drink only water and no other beverages. It does not limit food intake -- but when it comes to drinking, only water. Also, this fast is two-fold. All the money you save by drinking only water (a.k.a. the money you don't spend on pop, coffee, or for some alcohol), you donate to Blood:Water Missions. It serves Africans with clean water for the treatment and prevention of AIDS. For $1, one person can be provided with clean water for an ENTIRE YEAR! I am so excited to continue with this fast, because this ministry is so important to me, especially after just going to Haiti. People who can't help themselves need the Lord more than anything, and if this ministry of clean water and prevention of deadly viruses helps even 1 person, it is so worth it! Psalm 9:17-18.

Though none of you may choose to participate in this 40 day fast, if you'd like to contribute, even 3 days, or 1 week -- it would be amazing! At the end of Lent I'm going to send all the money that I've saved in, and if you would like to pray for this ministry, or join me temporarily I would love more accountability and fellowship through this fast! Matthew 6:16.

Visiting Christie -- a Mini Vaca if you will!

I LOVE spontaneous road trips. So, when everything got canceled (my brother's dentist appointment and a babysitting gig) Wednesday this week, I took the opportunity to drive to visit my best friend Christie. I had only had one other chance to meet up with her since she had moved and I was anxious to visit her. It was really fantastic to catch up, and it was so nice out that we had a picnic at the park for lunch. We decided it'd be really fun to meet up with Andrew and Michelle Hawkinson in order to play with the kids. Here's what we did most of the afternoon!






We had so much fun. God is so good. Children are such a blessing. I love this family! And any of you who know Christie -- she's amazing. She is such a fantastic blessing to my life, and it is such a relief to know that God has protected her from her recent health scares (a bout with a lesion found on her lungs, that turned out to be scarring and non cancerous). A true answer to prayer! I am so glad to have spent this quality time with her.

While playing Say Anything recently with friends, we compiled a few lists. The most entertaining involved first dates. The bad ideas, or at least entertaining ones are as follows:

• Selling plasma to "work for your dinner".
• Coyote Canyon
• Hair Removal
• Watching a movie
• Going to The "Stacks"
• Playing Speed
• Applying for Jobs
• Grocery shopping
• Meeting each other's family
• Babysitting other people's kids
  

While these are the mediocre ideas -- votes either way would be appreciated for those seeking advice. Also additions are welcome!

• Garage Sale-ing
• Geocaching
• Dance lessons
• Going to a sporting event together (i.e. Royals, KU Baksetball)
• Study dates
• Going to church together
  

Good ideas in almost every situation! Any horror stories related to these scenarios would provide a few laughs, I'm sure.

• The zoo
• The library
• Getting pizza and eating it on the underpass of the bridge to I-70 in Lawrence
• Cooking dinner together
• Playing tennis
• Serving in a ministry together (Rescue Mission, etc.)

These are just a start. Anybody have any input?

Haiti!

So, my plan was to keep a journal of each day while I was in Haiti so that I would never forget a single moment, and be able to share it with everybody later. However, I learned a lot about myself while I was in Haiti. Ironically I learned that I do not like journaling. Therefore, this is going to be a rough overview of what happened and will be inspired by pictures that I find and choose to post for all of you to see. Mostly, I fell in love with the kids there, so this is really a blog about them. I'm going to have to do this in two installments, because this took forever! So, this is part one. I'll try to keep it as chronological as possible -- Here it goes!


The first day, Dani and I found the twin babies. Their names are Stephanie and Stephania, and they're 14 months old. Their mother died during childbirth, and they had been at the orphanage since they were 2 days old. A woman from Kansas had been supplying the orphanage with formula for these two since they had been there, which is such a blessing! These girls were so different from each other and so fun to be around! Stephanie (or Fanie) was active and curious and wanted to be everywhere all the time. Stephania (or Fania -- my favorite little one!) was quiet and content to be held. These two were the babies I hung out with most of the time that we were there.



This is Daphterly. She was the most captivating little girl I had ever seen. One day, we gave all the children coloring pages and crayons, and sharing was difficult at first, but all the kids were so proud of the pictures they drew. However, the most entertaining thing that Daphterly did was show off her modeling skills. She is such a ham, and loves the camera -- too cute! Watch this:





Napping on the porch was another favorite past time of the trip (This is Stephania on the left, Daphterly on the right). Since it was consistently about 90 degrees, we got tired enough for naps about every day! Plus we had been working hard. These little ones were so cute and comfy to snuggle with, but if you can imagine it did get pretty warm! Naps were good and relaxing, but sweaty.


We had the opportunity to go on several different "trips" while we were there. The first one was to a village in the mountains. It was about an hour away from the orphanage, so we all piled into the truck. This little one was the first "native" we saw. All the children we saw were not quite clothed, and covered in dust and dirt. The reason for this trip was to understand how the majority of suburban Haitians live. This particular village (as well as those surrounding it) travels over 2 miles for water. They don't have access to a well, or the means with which to build one. Because communal living is so emphasized and embraced, just one well would be enough to supply water for the over 100 people in need.


Also, in the last year, the orphanage built a new nursery with cribs to boot. There are two full time "mamas" that sleep with the babies. They definitely keep busy with over 15 of them to care for! One of the mamas is pictured here, and two toddlers are eating one of the two meals they are served each day. The babies and toddlers eat and sleep in the nursery, while the older children eat in the dining room and sleep in boys' and girls' dorms.