Happy CANADA DAY!!HAPPY CANADA DAY!!
Today we celebrate Canada's 141st Birthday. Since my hubby had to work, the kids and I met my mom and Aunt downtown and we walked along the river, enjoying the day, the company and the scenery. It was just delightful! The children were SO well behaved. My son later told me that his favourite part of the walk was seeing a Mother duck and her 8 little babies right up close as the swam down the river, and waddled up for a break and a snack. He walked with a camera, taking pictures and making mini movies of everything he saw. At the end of the walk we had 87 pictures.... good thing it's a digital camera!   Along with the 87 pictures.... I came back with a pretty good sunburn on my neck and arms. The children escaped with nothing, but the baby got a little tiny burn on the tops of his feet around his shoes. I forgot to reapply that sunscreen!  We did have RED foods for lunch and supper and after our walk we enjoyed watching on tv the festivities that were going on at Capital Hill. I AM A PROUD CANADIAN And if the Devil doesn't like it he can sit on a TACK!Friday morning the baby had a doctors appointment and a needle (he's been sick for about a month now). Early Saturday morning we took a sobbing 4 year old into the emergency room to discover that she has a severe double ear infection -- AGAIN. Saturday evening the baby took a tumble down cement outdoor steps, scraping his forehead and swelling all the way down his nose......This morning we were to drive 3 1/2 hours to visit in a church for the day. If ever there was a Sunday that I felt like staying home and not fighting with cranky kids, this was this was the one. As I looked back over the past few days I realized that if it were only ONE of these things I wouldn't think twice about going - but everything combined had left me tired, cranky and wanting to stay at home. My hubby encouraged me. Perhaps the Devil is trying to keep us home for some reason.... I am SO glad that we all went! After an enjoyable Sunday school and service (in which the baby actually went into nursery and was willing to stay), we headed to a church members home for lunch. The family who hosted us is a homeschooling family with 8 children ages ranging from 23 down to 6. Six of them still live at home. What an Amazing family! The children were so thoughtful and kind, taking my children right away and making them feel comfortable and right at home. I felt taken in as well as I was greeted with a hug and a smile. I spent the afternoon basking in the warmth and knowledge of this experienced Mom. I hope I didn't drive her crazy with all my questions! What a wonderful, unexpected blessing!! I left feeling energized, encouraged, blessed, and amazed again - God always knows just what I need. I'm so glad we went. The Rain is falling all around, it rains on fields and trees......The rain is falling all around,It rains on fields and trees, It rains on the umbrellas here, And on the ships at sea! AND it rains on our heads, and our stroller and our library books.... We wanted to head out to the library today, but the weather forecast predicted thundershowers for the morning. We decided to go AFTER the showers passed, so we waited.... and waited.... and waited. The sky was beautiful blue with wisps of fluffy white clouds. Not a rain drop in sight, and the warm air was enticing! Finally, at 2pm we decided to make the 20 min walk down to the library - seems like the rain wasn't coming after all. Half way there and we saw one of the biggest bolts of lightening I've ever seen in my life, followed imediatly by a deffening thunder clap.... and with no preamble the rain began to pour out of the sky. There was nowhere to duck, and no where to hide. Within seconds we were drenched to the skin! Should we continue on, or turn back? The children voted to continue, so we hurried on towards the library. As we slipped into the doors we made wet tracks directly to the bathroom to wring out our hair and clothes. What a giggle we all had! The warm air insured that we were not chilly and we dried off fairly quickly. It's always an adventure! My 4 year old daughter picked out her 5 books - 4 of which had to do with puddles and rain. What a wonderful way to learn!   FATHER'S DAYHAPPY FATHERS DAY!!
Just a few pictures today. I wanted to get a photo of my children with Jeff's Dad, and Jeff with his Dad, but in the hustle and bustle of Saturday getting ready for the wedding, and then his Dad headed to work at 8am on Sunday, it just completely slipped my mind.... so it's a goal next time we head down to visit them! Here are my children with my Father.....  My Father and Me (do you see a resemblance?)  And Jeff with our children  In Sickness or in health.... In Cuba or in Canada!My husband's cousin, Brianne, had a wedding reception today. The actual wedding was held in CUBA - with many of the family members present. At the reception tonight they showed a beautifully done video of the wedding - it was SO romantic! :)
 Birthday BoyI just can't believe my son turned SEVEN this week. Seven seems to be that line between "little child" and "real boy". Seven seems so OLD. I wasn't concerned when he turned Six. I could handle a six year old, but SEVEN?? Seven is questions, bugs, attitude, curiosity, and so much more.... I feel like he's really growing up. He is such a wonderful boy - generally obedient, smart, and strives to please. I pray daily for him and his future.Below is a mantage of photos from this week. We took birthday cupcakes to share with the soccer team, we celebrated with some family and friends at at "Knight Night" which was supposed to be inside due to pending thundershowers but ended up being outside because it was SOOO hot. His only request for present and cake - KNIGHTS and CASTLE! It's a HIT! (photograph compliments of my eldest son) Jeff has joined a baseball team for the summer! It has been a VERY long time since he's played, but he was quite anxious to get out and dust the cobwebs off his glove! He did pretty well - although the children were more interested in playing with the other children, then watching the game it's self. I was thrilled to find another wife sitting and knitting while the game played out. I'll not mention who won the game, but I do think Jeff's team is going to need a little more practice.... 
a KNIGHT to remember A birthday looms this week for my almost-seven-year-old boy. As a gift for this knight-crazed grandson, my Father took him to Medieval Times - a dinner and show put on to imitate the knightly games of the middle ages. What an incredible gift! Something he is sure to remember for the rest of his life - not to mention that the knight that represented his section (the green knight) won the tournament! He fell into bed this evening still talking about all the things he has seen and heard. visiting friends and celebrating a birthday!Our good friends came down for a picnic and a birthday celebration today! What a blessing :) Sharon is one of my "fiber friends". It is also Sharon who taught me the value of making time to sit down with a cup of tea and a friend in the middle of a busy day. I value her friendship, and my family values her family, too.
SO proud to help!I was chattin' with my mom on the phone this evening after supper, when I noticed the baby was a little.... um... stinky, so I took him upstairs to change him (still on the phone) leaving the older two on the main level.About 15 mins later my eldest (son) came up to me. He was drenched from head to foot -- even his hair was wet! "Guess what, Mommy! I did the dishes for you!" He was SOOOO proud! (you should SEE my kitchen -- it is COVERED with water!) Knitting Soccer Mom!First Game!We had a Mother's Day dinner for my Mom, Auntie Pauline (sisters) and special friend Andrea. My mom had to make the gravy because she's much better at it then I am, but otherwise I think the dinner was pretty acceptable. We don't often get to visit with my Auntie Pauline and Uncle Dennis as they live across the country in BC. We do take advantage when we are able! My Auntie Pauline has been a special influence in my life and I cherish her. (She taught me all about nail polish, make up and such girlie things!) (my daughter entertains the ladies by blowing bubbles with them)After dinner the ladies stayed home to do the dishes and the men took my soccer son to his first game. When he got home he came bursting through the door shouting "Mommy, Guess what! We got SNACK at soccer!" He was so thrilled! Turns out they won their first game, too - but that clearly wasn't the important part to him. He was just so glad to play and be a part of the team. Here he is, breaking away from the pack with the ball - he's a fast little kid!
 Mother's Day My Children and II was gifted this morning by my oldest son with a cute pair of silver heart-shaped earrings. He picked them out himself and even paid for them with his own money. My daughter gave me a key chain with coloured turtles on it - again, she paid for them herself. They even went to the scrap book store and each picked out (and paid for) papers to make me a card each. What increadible gifts! I am SO touched by their thoughtfulness! I am honoured to be called "Mother" to these three amazing, beautiful children.
Thank you, children, for the blessings you are to me daily.  My Mother with her two daughtersHalf way!Just a quick update for our supporters - our support hit the half-way mark this month! We are at 50%, and so excited about it! God is just so good. Support continues to come in unexpected ways, which continuously reminds us of God's provision.Can I tell you a little story? We have been having problems with our computer, which we take with us, for about a year now, and we knew it was "on it's way out". We've been pricing computers, watching adds and sales, trying to figure out what is the best computer to get to suit our needs.... figured out that a mac (which neither of us knows anything about) is probably our best option... with the exception of the price! Well, about 3 weeks ago our computer crashed it's final crash, and we knew we couldn't wait any longer. We went to a local computer store and he suggested that we ask about "display model" computers -- ones that were set out for customers to play on, but no longer on display... so we asked in our city and found one for $1,300.00. (regular price 2,400.00) It was missing the main disk for programs, so if anything happened to it we'd have to repurchase all the programs because there was no cd.... we decided that it wasn't as good a deal as it sounded because of that. meanwhile... I had issues with my camera and returned it (under warrente) to my local camera store. They called back to say that it was fixed and ready - but it was shipped back to the wrong store (about 50 mins from where we lived). We decided to go pick it up instead of waiting the 2 weeks it would take for it to be shipped back to our city. While we were there, we stopped into the computer store in the same plaza.... we found the same computer WITH the disk... asking price of $1,000.00 (store display, discounted) We picked it up, knowing that we would need it, but not knowing how we would pay for it.... computing on faith! Saturday we received a gift -- it is The PERFECT amount to cover the cost. God is SO good! I sit here, typing on a new computer that is NOT crashing, just totally amazed. He had to work out all the details perfectly - there is no way we could have figured it all out ourselves! God IS so good - and INCREDIBLE! Mending FencesThanks to the encouragement of my wonderful, Godly mentor and a lot of prayer I took a step today towards healing some hurts and mending some fences. Why is it so difficult to sort through differences and understand each other sometimes? I find the longer I let things "sit" the easier it is to pretend they don't exist.... I praise God for His strength both for me and the woman I met with. With His grace we parted as friends and as sisters. It is my prayer that we do not allow anything to come between us again. The LORD is GOOD, His mercy is everlasting and his truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100:5Joining the leagues of "SOCCER MOMS"!This evening was my sons first soccer practice! He's been begging to play for about 2 years and is just so thrilled to be on a team this summer! He was delighted to receive a BLUE jersey -- with a lion on the front! The grin on his face was permanent as he sprinted onto the field with a dozen other blue clad seven year old boys. It promises to be a great season! Cough.... Cough..... Cough......Seems like everyone in our house has been sick! It started with the baby - first grumpy from his teeth, then fever and coughing.... then on to my son... now me.... and my daughter has just begun. Seems like we've been sick more often in the past year then EVER before -- almost every other week some one seems to have SOMETHING. I hope the heat of the summer burns up all the germies in our house, I'm getting "sick" of people in my house being sick all the time! :)A Trip to Lake HuronLike a FishMy sweet 4 year old daughter has been very interested in swimming for about a year, and just loves the water, so today she started lessons for the first time. She did very well and the teacher asked me again if I was sure this was her first time in lessons! She just jumped right in and took off! I think she'll do very well in swimming, like her Uncle Paul. There's Nothing like a Visit with an Old Friend...I posted HERE about my sons feeling upon missing a very special play date with a friend he has been missing. Today was the "make up" date, and what a wonderful day it was! We celebrated a birthday and enjoyed a visit -- the kind that you just can't have over the e-mail or over the phone. I even had the opportunity to attend the local home school meeting with my good friend - what an amazing encouragement it was -- all about prayer... for our husbands, our children and our selves. I came away refreshed, renewed and reminded of the importance of good friends -- both for us as adults and for our children. God has blessed us so much!!A New Baby is Such a Blessing!A new baby is always a blessing!We had the honour of visiting a new baby and his parents. His parents (and he) are heading to Europe as missionaries and will be a short (visiting) distance when we move to England. We pray that we can be an encouragement to him and to his parents as they raise him to fear the Lord. Numbers6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace  A Blessing in DisguiseMy hubby, Jeff, was laid off from work last week. This comes as a blessing in disguise as it has afforded us the ability to spend this past week with his parents. I think it's the longest time we've ever spent in a row. We took advantage of the time, and were able to scheadule in 9 other visits while we were in the area - what a busy time! It was a wonderful visit, and we were very spoiled, but it is always nice to be home again.50 YearsThis year marks the 50th year since my Mom and her siblings sailed to Canada from England. To remember the event they went out to dinner together - they are very seldom all together anymore due to dwelling distance. (my mom is second from the right) If you go down in the woods today... you're not going to be alone!The wooded areas around us were filled with people today as tourists flooded into Elmira and the surrounded bush to celebrate the running of the sap at the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. The CEF Storyhouse Trailer was running at the Festival (my Dad was helping out!) so our little family and my Mom headed down to the festival to check out the fun. It was so crowded that it was difficult to push the stroller! I have to admit that the event, which I thought would be enjoyable for the children, turned out to be less then ideal due to the gross number of people there. None the less we were able to enjoy some of the flavours, including fresh apple fritters and GIANT dill pickles!
Easter Sunday302. Christ the Lord Is Risen TodayText: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788Music: Lyra Davidica, 1708 Tune: EASTER HYMN, Meter: 77.77 D 1. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! 2. Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia! 3. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia! 4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! 5. Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia! Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia! Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia! Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia! 6. King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia! Everlasting life is this, Alleluia! Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia! Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia! Good FridayThe Wonderful CrossMatt Redman When I survey the wonderous cross On which the Price of Glory dies My richest gain I cound but loss And pour contempt on all my pride See from his head, his hands, his feet sorrow and love flow mingled down Did e'r such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown O the wonderful Cross, Oh the wonderful Cross Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live Oh the wonderful Cross, Oh the Wonderful Cross All who gather here by grace draw near and bless your name Today we remembered Jesus Death on the cross at our Good Friday church service. Following the service we headed back to my parents for lunch - and the traditional EGG HUNT - even the baby got right into it, thanks to Auntie Ann who practiced with him yesterday!  We then donned our winter coats and went on a "spring hunt" (new life). It was a walk around the area looking for signs of spring. We didn't find very many! The snow piles are still pretty high. What we did find: - tiny shoots of green grass coming up underneath the protective bows of pine trees - a few small, hearty flowers and leaves poking up through the snow - lots of MUD - people wearing sunglasses - Roll up the Rim to win cups on the ground - Did I mention all the MUD? - Puddles of melting snow - Bumble Bees - birds singing - ladybugs Wonderful reminders that, though the winter was long, spring is coming... God is Good! 
Carrot ThiefMy daughter decided that she wanted to make Carrot Cake for her grandparents, so we worked on that together to create her masterpiece (she loves to bake!
Where is SPRING?My wonderful, amazing husband brought me home tulips today, my favourite flower, to celebrate the "first day of Spring"
Don't Feed the Bears!A large stuffed bear (a gift from Auntie Megan for Christmas) sits at the table in a chair beside the baby. He was snacking quietly while I worked on the dishes. I peeked around the corner to check on him...... He's sharing his snack! Training them EarlyThe baby is really starting to want to "help". He brings us things he thinks we want, and copies whatever we are doing. He even wants to help with the dishes! He pushed this chair up to the counter and climbed up beside Daddy to "help" with the dishes. He was just thrilled when Daddy gave him a cloth so he could wash some himself! A visit with Auntie AnnAuntie Ann came to visit today! It is always fun when she's around - she has a wonderful energy about her, and a true love for people. She loves to do crafts, so she came over today to help us with some t-shirt decorating! We had lots of giggles and laughs as we let our imaginations loose! Horton-Hears-A-WhoIt was another half day of school today as we went to the Library in the morning for a great "Horton Hears a Who" Party hosted by The Cat in the Hat! New Family AdditionAfter saving for quite a while, my son has finally afforded himself - a WEBKINZ pet! He is now the proud owner of a grey kitty.My daughter was given one as a gift for Christmas, and my son has been quite interested in it. It is a stuffed animal that "comes to life" when you enter in a secret code into the webkinz website. You can then build a room, play games, take your pet to the doctors and even get a job for your pet. I'm still not sure what I think about these pets. They DO teach the child playing that they have to work for their dollars to feed their pet and buy things to put into it's room (and if they spend all their money on "stuff" then they have nothing left to feed the poor pet with). But some of the games are rather... casino-like. There's no actual betting of money at all, they are just designed in the same way as some of the games you'd find there. I wonder if they give the child a "taste" for that type of game... only to hook them later on something more addictive? I didn't realize this earlier, but now my husband and I have begun to discuss the impact of these pets on our children. Perhaps they are not as "harmless" as they seem. I'm sure I"ll have more to say about this subject later on. Feedback is very welcome! In the mean time, a kitten joins our crew. Here is the proud boy with his new pet.  BIG SNOWMy hubby and I headed to the big TO for a Missions Fest while Grandma and Grandpa babysat the kids -- all three of them. It took us about twice as long to get in as it normally would, due to a snowstorm! Due to the poor weather the conference was poorly attended, which was a disappointment to those who put it on. Nevertheless, for those who did attend it was a great conference and very informative! We even got to meet BIBLEMAN face to face! (my son was a little jealous) We "waited the storm out", deciding to leave a little later, since the radio said that the majority of the storm should be over by 2pm.... we left at 8, thinking the roads would be cleared by then. The adventure home began with pushing a good number of small cars OUT of the parking lot before we were able to follow... we were greatful for our van! Three hours later and we pulled into our parking lot.... to see this:
 We hadn't missed the storm at all - in fact, the snowplows had been pulled OFF the roads because it wasn't safe for them! God was good and kept us safe all the way home.
As for the children - they had SO much fun with Grandma and Grandpa - even the baby did well! We are blessed to have such wonderful parents so close to call upon! Another HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!My niece turns NINE today - wow, I can hardly believe she's that old!
Pop over to her BLOG and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Or Pop into her Mom's BLOG and leave your wishes there. My niece is a wonderful young lady, loved by all my children for her gentleness and kindness. She is thoughful of those around her and has a big, caring heart. I look forward to watching her grow in God's grace, and I know He will use her in wonderful ways to touch the lives of those around her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETIE!!! Grumpies explained - and a knitting FOMy daughter took a trip into the clinic this afternoon and the source of her grumpiness was explained! She has been diagnosed with a severe double ear infection... poor kid! She's on antibiotics and children's motrin... hopefully the improvement will come quickly.On a knitting note... I completed the long awaited leg warmers for my sickie daughter. As requested they are "Pink ballerina leg warmers with ruffles". She's a girl who knows what she wants! She is THRILLED with them, and tried them out right away - sorry the photo of her is a little fuzzy.... she's four and has trouble holding still!  My mom also returned the socks I made her for Christmas - apparently they have developed HOLES from overuse... what a compliment! I've never darned socks before, but I will try it this time since the holes are still a reasonable size.
 And, never to be projectless.... Here is the yarn for my next project.... beautiful TLC (I've wanted to work with it for a while now because it is so deliciously soft) I'm not going to tell you just yet what it's going to be made into, but I'm very excited about this project!  A weekend AwayWe headed to New York yesterday to visit in a church this morning. It was straight through at the boarder, but a HUGE snowstorm hit just as we got into the States. It took us twice as long to drive as we expected.We had a lovely dinner, then headed to our hotel. To our pleasure they had a pool! After the long drive in, what a joy to jump into a warm pool and hot tub! The children LOVED having some time to kick around after sitting.  The church visit was lovely - they even hosted a pot luck lunch afterwards! Delicious! Everyone was warm and welcoming despite the cold! The drive home was smooth and easy - and we had three sleeping children most of the way. It's a bird.... It's a plane.... no, it's BIBLEMAN! My son bought himself a Bibleman sword so he could fight of "The wiles of the Devil" Who can argue with that?? We spent this long weekend (Today is "Family Day", a holiday) in the blessed company of friends. My son has been pretty lonely since we to this area, missing, especially, his two best friends. This weekend we went on a trip back to visit with each of their families. It was wonderful to hear him laughing and playing with them - he was so thrilled to see them again! (and I was so blessed to sit and have tea with their Moms) What a wonderful, encouraging weekend. We also stopped, on Sunday afternoon, to visit with my mentor. I treasure the advice she gives, and appreciate the thoughtfulness and Godly perspective that she brings to my life.
Now I just have to figure out how to make a "Bibleman cape" to go with the sword.... he thinks it should be black and yellow..... hummm.... I wonder where he got THAT idea? A Valentine BirthdayIt's my MOM's birthday today!!
And while we're on the topic of special days......
Back to ChristmasThe children's Christmas presentation got "snowed out" in December. All the other classes were scheaduled for the following week, except my daughters class. Today, however, they had the opportunity to put on their little play. The class is 4 &5 year olds. Dressed all in animal costumes they "prepared" for the baby Jesus to be born in their barn.My daughter played a COW. She did such a good job (mommy's opinon, of course!). She remembered most of her lines and was actually loud enough to be heard! The only disapointment for me - it's REALLY HARD to take pictures of activity on the platform of our church - they don't turn out very well! lol  { Last Page } { Page 1 of 6 } { Next Page } |
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