Memories...

Yesterday was also an anniversary of sorts.  Kind of a sad one, but it's not really the specific day that makes me sad.  It's the memory of seeing our Pastor come up the walk and having him tell us that we wouldn't be seeing my Dad because he'd had a heart attack while driving back to our house in B.C. The memory of being in complete shock and yet feeling the need to be strong for my mom, who was in just as much shock, if not more.  Remembering how I didn't want to cry too much because I didn't want to hurt the baby that I was carrying inside.  The little one that Dad had looked forward to meeting.  Knowing that I had a little girl who still needed her mother and a husband that still needed his wife.  Wanting to be strong, but at the same time just wanting to curl up in a ball and die so that I could be with my dad.  It's harder writing this than going through the actual day that was the anniversary of his death.  5 years have passed.  It really doesn't seem possible, but I know that it's true.  So much has happened and it makes me sad to think of all that he has missed.  Not even so much, the things that he has missed, but the things that we and our children have missed because he's not here.  Having him meet Garrison, Caleb and Kiersten.  Not being able to call him at the church.  Not having him call me Lolly, even though I pretended that it was embarrassing.  He was the only one that I let get away with it and he still called me that after I got married:). No prank phone calls trying to get us to get us to switch phone companies.  Dad had a great sense of humor and a great love for the Lord.  A gentle spirit that was shown in the strength of his hug.  A love that was shown in his smile and the twinkle of his eyes.  I think one of the hardest moments was when we had Garrison's dedication.  Wishing so much that Dad could have been the one to do it.  I think he was the first one of the grandchildren to miss out on that.  Gideon was born a couple weeks before Garrison, so I think the memory is the same for my brother.  Knowing that Dad would never get to tell them Bible stories and take them fishing.  Having him rejoice the day that Elyssia and Garrison got saved.  I know the angels rejoice in Heaven over one sinner that comes to repentance, but I don't know if they say their names.  Maybe he did get to know about it:).  I know he would have loved to come and be a part of the church plant up here and getting to know the people that the Lord has brought into our lives.  So, although I know he's much better off up there in Heaven and I don't sorrow as those that have no hope of ever seeing their loved one again.  I still miss having him on the other end of the phone line or driving up the lane to our house.  Looking forward to that great reunion in Heaven!
  For now, I have my brothers and family. Each one of them seems to have a little part of Dad within them.  Some are good listeners and some know how to comfort with a hug.  Some have his sense of humor, gift of acting, twinkle in their eye and the list goes on.  Some of the boys say, act or do things that make me think of stories Dad told us growing up.  The Lord has given us little glimpses over the years and we just pray that God will choose to use us and our children  to spread the Gospel and love the lost, like Dad did.
  Miss you Dad, Hoping to see you one day soon...

On a roll...

I've been busy and really haven't felt like posting the past couple days.  We made new friends this weekend and were blessed to hear some wonderful singing.  The Newmans are heading to Okotoks, Alberta to plank a church.  They have 6 kids and 4 of them came with.  I really shouldn't say "kids".  The youngest is 15 and we were surprised to find that the oldest girl was 26!  They all look quite young, but when they started to sing there was no way that a teenager had that voice maturity.  They were a blessing to talk to and I was definitely encouraged by their desire to serve the Lord and also to make more of an effort to help Scott get our family to the special Preacher's meetings in different churches more often than we have been.  Our kids quickly attached themselves and formed friendships that we'd like to see continue.  To be around others with the same desire to serve the Lord.  I know that was a big part of what kept me excited about serving the Lord growing up. Seeing other young people that weren't just out to find pleasure for themselves, but truly wanted to do what the Lord had for them.  Another bond was the fact that they were homeschooled.  Another testimony to the fact that you can be very outgoing and conversational, instead of some awkward, shy, person that acts like they haven't seen another human being in ages:).  The world's view of homeschoolers is pretty absurd, although there are some to be found that fit that description, it's certainly not the norm.  So, here is a pic of the family, I should have taken my camera, but you'll have to settle for a pic of their prayer card, which is very nice:)

The slush mentioned in the previous post.

Around the porch was a gorgeous day!

I love how our yard looks in the spring!

Kiersten shared her popcorn with her doll.  A chance to teach her that it's dangerous before she tries it with the real baby:)

 

 

The message was far different from what our people are used to.  He's not a quiet preacher, but the message had a lot to think about in it.  We had a nice time visiting with new friends and old:)  Not old, age-wise, just ones we've had for awhile.  One family we hadn't seen for about 2 months, so it was good to catch up with them.  The rest of the afternoon was spent napping. That felt sooooo good.  I haven't gotten to sleep that long on a Sunday afternoon in a long time.  3 out of 4 sleeping helped to make that possible.  Elyssia played with Kiersten when she woke up.  Her nap was shorter because she slept in the morning service, making it possible for me to listen to the majority of the sermon upstairs.  The evening service didn't go quite as peacefully.  Elyssia was complaining that her side hurt, but it wasn't where her appendix is located.  She moaned until church was done, but we were downstairs, so I don't think anyone could hear it.  The others were rambunctious, probably due to the longer nap.  Overall, it was a very good day though and the weather stayed quite nice for the duration.
 
  Today, Monday, was also quite busy. There was quite a bit of clean up, because of being in and out so much over the weekend.  Scott was able to get another section of the lawn mowed and I had a big grocery run to make.  Others that shop at Extra Foods on sale day, probably know what I'm talking about.  I haven't calculated how often it happens, but only having the sale the day on the first Monday and Tuesday of the month means that sometimes you have to go about 6 weeks because the month is 5 weeks long and that's just way to long to keep doing the weekly runs without going over budget.  I think this month was one of those because it doesn't end til Tuesday, putting the sale next week.  So, I decided to do 2 big runs 2 weeks in a row and have very small pick ups, like milk and bananas the other 3 weeks.  Hopefully that will keep us on budget for the month:) Scott was able to keep the kids occupied and I went as quickly as possible.  I got back just as they were finishing lunch, so it was really quite good timing:).  That meant that I didn't miss out on laying down with the boys for a nap.  Very much needed after the busy morning.  This afternoon Scott took Garrison in to take care of some errands that he does on his day off.  Tomorrow it's back to work as usual.  It's been nice and peaceful here at home and Elyssia made Farmer's Sausage and Perogies with a mushroom sauce for supper.  I cut up the meat and supervised, but pretty much let her take care of the rest.  Here's the proof:):

Things are starting to feel more settled healthwise. Just waiting to feel the baby kick for the first time.  Should be pretty soon:). 

On a funny note:  I talked to my brother, Nathan, today.  He was telling me that he's taking the boys to see Kung Fu Panda 2 this afternoon.  They have a holiday for Memorial Day in the States.  Judah told him that it would probably include the panda falling in love.  The funny thing, he's probably right on:)  That seems to be included in most sequels to animated movies.  I can't wait to hear what he thought of it.  I haven't seen it.  Kirk showed us the first one a couple years ago and it was pretty funny.

  Telling Kiersten that I would be back in a minute because I needed to use the washroom. She ran ahead of me into the bathroom, lifted the lid for me, then went and sat on the little potty. She's not using it yet, but Elyssia takes her in every morning as soon as they wake up. Kiersten sits on the little potty til Elyssia is done, then they go out for breakfast.  Pretty cute, even if she is a little stinker.  Oh!  Before I forget to mention it.  I heard a giggle that sounded like it was coming from the balcony at the church yesterday.  I looked up and saw two tiny little hands on the railing!  Talk about scary.  She was on a chair, but thankfully had no ability to get to the top because her legs are too short.  Gotta get Scott to work building the little gate that will keep them from going up there.  She's definitely trying to give me a hear attack:).

  Talking to Caleb and Garrison about tornadoes. With all the damage lately they heard us talking about whether there might be one out this way.  Garrison and Caleb were under the impression that they could beat it up.  After a good long explanation of a tornado they both agreed that it would be best to hide somewhere:)  Smart boys...

Elyssia thinking that she was going to need her own shelf for storing foods that she could cook.  She declared that she was cook #3 and needed someplace to put her ingredients:) Scott informed her that she has to graduate from Mother's Helper to apprenticing Cook and then she can be Cook #3.  She's not sure what to think of that, but it was pretty good of Scott to come up with that system.  She's able to make several things independently now, but we don't want her trying to take over in the kitchen just yet...

Reverse and Vandalism

This post should have come before the weather one, but I forgot that I hadn't shared these events on here yet.  I thought I should wait since the police were making a visit and I didn't want to say something that would get us in trouble. So, have I got your attention yet?  The word "police" is a pretty good way of doing that, eh?
  It was close to bedtime on Friday night when we Scott answered the phone.  It was a lady calling to let him know that some windows had been broken at the church.  Some kids had informed her that a boy in the neighborhood threw rocks through them:(.  She gave us her name, but asked not to be mentioned.  She also gave us the boy's name and said that he was in Grade 1.  Say what!!!  Grade 1!!!  That is Elyssia's age!  Am I using too many exclamation points.  I really was shocked that a child that young would cause such damage.  It was late and we asked a couple in the church, that lived in town, if they didn't mind going over to see how much damage there was.  They found at least 6 rocks inside the church.  The bottom of 2 windows were completely broken and the glass was scattered inside the church.  I should have taken pictures on Sunday, but was busy visiting with the missionaries, getting ready for the potluck and trying to make sure the kids were all still in the yard:).  Caleb "accidentally" went over the fence yesterday:).  Right, so the fence pulled you up and pushed you over:)  Anyway, it reminds me how thankful I am that we don't live in town.  I'd have a full time job making sure that they were still in the yard.  SO, back to the story.  When Scott found out how much damage there was he called the police to make a report.  It's not like we wanted to press charges and the boy was way too young, but we were hoping to see the damages paid for by the family.  The police went by and the parents were pretty cooperative.  However, they said they did not know where their child was from 5-7.  Quite shocking really.  I can't imagine letting Elyssia run around town(these days) for 2 hours without knowing where she was.  Too much chance of kidnapping, etc...  The boy denied that he had anything to do with it.  Thus, it was our problem to deal with.  In sharing the story I hope I don't come across as bitter, because I really don't have any bitterness over it.  Just surprised at many of the details of the story.  The age of the boy, the extent of the damage, the lack of watch care by parents over their children and also a child's ability to lie about such things.  The last one I'm not all that surprised about, but I do pray that the child has a very guilty conscience.  There is a general lack of respect for God's house these days, but it's really sad to see it in one so young.  We won't be replacing it with stained glass this time, since the panes would be quite expensive.  It's the bottom sections of the windows, so Scott's talking to Kindersley glass about replacing it with sliders so that we can get some air in during the summer.  Something that would also be harder to break. I think the other ones were single pane, certainly not energy efficient, but they were pretty:). So, this may not be the END of the story, but for now, it's all there is...

Bizarre Weather

is apparently quite normal for Saskatchewan, but I until Saturday I hadn't experienced all 4 kinds of weather in one day.  The morning was gorgeous and the time passed quickly.  We laid down for a nap and about an hour later I thought I heard rain.  I looked out the window and it was coming down hard.  I quickly found my shoes so that I could rescue the plants off the porch.  By the time I got out there I had balls of hail pelting me on the head!  That lasted for about 10 minutes and then things settled down.  It was a bit windy as we headed out to the 40th anniversary party, but I was pleased to see that it wasn't raining.  Our babysitter rode her bike through the rain to the church on Thursday night and I didn't want her to have to do that again.  The weather was still fairly decent and we got back to the church about 8pm.  The missionaries arrived at about 8:30.  We visited til close to 10 and about halfway through the rain started coming down in sheets.  "Georgia rain" I like to call it.  The soil in Saskatchewan isn't so absorbent though and we had to lift the kids over the rivers of water running down the street by the van.  We could hardly see through the rain on the way home, except when the lightning would flash across the sky.  When we finally got to our turn off Scott asked me if I thought there was snow on the road.  It was so dark that I couldn't tell and I thought it was just the reflection of the headlights.  When we got home we saw that Scott's car was covered with slush.  I think it must've hailed quite a bit, then the rain was just warm enough to turn it to slush, but still leave it somewhat intact.  Our porch still had some on it on Sunday morning.  We were all exhausted and fell into a deep sleep until morning.  What a day!  It was a very good one, just quite busy after all my time being at home and sick. 

A day to be thankful for...

Yes, each day that we draw breath is a day to thank the Lord for, but yesterday I'm VERY thankful for.  I actually felt normal for most of the day.  The Lord helped me to get the kitchen, living room, entry way and our bedroom back to my level of clean.  It's been way too long!  We were also able to work through all of Elyssia's math and today is our second to last day!:)!  Can you tell that I'm excited?  The sun was shining and the apple tree has blossoms.  Last year many of them were destroyed because of the wind.  Praying that doesn't happen this year. My cousins little girl Abby is showing GREAT improvement, for which we are extremely thankful.  I felt like baking, which is the first time in 2 months that I've felt that way.  I found that I missed it, so hopefully I'll be inspired more often in the next couple weeks, months, etc...  The kids filled buckets with water and pretended to "swim".  Scott had a full day of painting, then came home and mowed the lawn.  The grass is growing quickly now and it's a challenge to stay ahead of it.  Maybe this time next year he'll be doing it with a tractor attachment:).  That would be a huge answer to prayer.  Some friends blessed us with a couple dozen eggs, just when we were getting low.  Isn't it amazing how God works that way?  The list just goes on and on....  I guess you can tell that I'm feeling better, eh?  My mind felt dull and uninspired when I was sick, but I'm starting to feel the light come back on. 
  Tonight we are going to one of those "talks".  You know, the ones where you go and sit for an hour in order to get something for free.  Well, I think this one will be worth it.  They are giving us 2 night's free in any motel in N. America and we get to eat at any local restaurant for free. An hour of possible boredom is worth it this time, and who knows, maybe the people will actually talk about something interesting:).
  Our schedule during the day includes cleaning the kids rooms, helping Elyssia get through her assignment for today and organizing, trading out books.  Hopefully a nap to rejuvenate somewhere in the middle of the day:).  Hope everyone else is having a good week too!

Victoria Day Weekend

 Weekends spent with the family are usually quite nice.  This one was busier than usual and nausea was present, but didn't manage to completely overwhelm.  The kids all made it into the bath. Some more than once...

yes, I took a pic.  She was already wet.

This was outside in between baths.

Saying "no", her favorite word.

Open your eyes when you smile:).

Crazy...

We're goin' to church!

I have totally seen Grandad make this face!

Garrison's taking the offering, Caleb's just his sidekick:).

Caleb shooting the B-B-Q full of holes.

Tom Sawyer wannabe

Hard to take a pic of the program w/Kiersten squirming.

We weren't able to get really good pics due to the lighting and the netting.

Mesmerized.  He wants to be the leader with the sword when he's older.

He wasn't sure what to think.

Waiting...

Video would have been best, but ours doesn't really work.

Loved the horses, of course!

They were pretty amazing.

The Charge!

One of my cousins-in-law had a little girl last week and named her Abigail Ann.  She seemed to be okay, but then went into respiratory distress.  They were flown to Oahu and they're hoping to remove the oxygen and feeding tube soon.  Extra prayers are greatly appreciated!
  Saturday was catch up day and was pretty productive as far as that goes. 
It was nice to see everyone again on Sunday.  There was just enough time for lunch at home, before it was time to go back for the service at the Manor.  Thankfully there was time for a nap in between that service and the evening one. Right before we left for church there was a torrential downpour.  It had been quite warm all day and instead of cooling things off it just made it muggy.  The kids were squirming during church, but managed to make it through the service rather quietly.  Garrison had fallen asleep on the way to church and was moved to the pew, but slept through the whole service.  We weren't sure that we would be able to get tickets at the gate for the "Musical Ride", so we didn't tell the kids what we were going to.  There was lots of excitement when they saw the Mounties and the horses were the icing on the cake!  It was neat to experience close up.  Kindersley has never hosted it before, but they agreed to come and do a fundraiser to raise money for the reconstruction of the burned part of the arena.  It was a little late for the kids to stay up, but they did pretty good.  Kiersten was a bit of a stinker, but settled down when we let her walk a bit.  Shortly before the program ended I started feeling extremely ill.  Thankfully I didn't throw up on the people in front of us.  I don't know if it was due to all the extra stimulation or the warmer weather, but I was thankful when it was time to go.  We walked out into another downpour.  Thankfully we weren't parked too far away.  I think some people probably waited inside because they'd walked several blocks from their houses.  We made it home and I headed straight to bed.  That seemed to help and the next thing I knew it was morning:).
  Today has been fairly quiet.  It was overcast, but we didn't have anywhere that we planned to go anyway.  This is the first Victoria Day that Scott hasn't been in Montrose, B.C. for in the past 12 years.  We all went back together the first year after we moved and last year he took Garrison.  With the Preacher's conference only being 1 full day we decided that we wouldn't make the trip this year. Next year we hope to go and stay for at least 4 days, that way we can have time to visit with everyone and the kids don't have 22 hours in the car with very little break.  So, after devotions, another day will have passed.  One more bit of good news to share though.  Over $5,000 has been raised to pay for the bunkbeds for the orphans in India.  Very excited about that!  Some projects seem quite large, but when the Lord's involved they can be accomplished in a very short time.  I think the really neat thing was seeing how many kids caught the vision and chose to try to help.  They gave more than I did and I think that's wonderful.  We pray that our kids can surpass us in the faith and walk with the Lord.  This is just one example of that. 
  Time for devotions...

Gardeners

So, today was the big day for planting the garden!  It was the perfect day weather wise and the kids were very excited.  The boys decided that they didn't want their own plots around the playhouse this year, so Elyssia got to plant whatever she wanted.  She planted ornamental corn, birdhouse gourds, sunflowers, poppys, and a variety of other things.  I think she planted a few edible things as well, but she's mostly going for the flower garden.  Hopefully we can get her to keep the weeding done.  She should have plenty of time since she only has about 8 days left of school with me and maybe a couple weeks or so with Scott.  His history book was really thick and he didn't have time to do it every day, otherwise she might be finishing that at the same time.  It was a very detailed course and I have to say that there were a lot of things she learned that I never knew, so in 1st grade she's way ahead of the game.  Kiersten even got in on the planting a bit and has quite a few mosquito bites to show for it.  Her face looks quite spotty.  The kids are really dirty after the busy morning, but they really don't care. 

Kiersten loves the cats.

Not sure if they feel the same about her:).

But she's cute and they put up with her.

Who wants to pull?

Elyssia has started an ant collection.

"Like Teddy Roosevelt mom!"  We've been listening to stories on the life of T. Roosevelt lately.

Not sure what Caleb's thinking...

The clean deck after the LONG winter...

Our grapefruit "trees".

Assortment that was started inside.

Not too bad.  I think he replanted in the bottom two.

They were all sprayed thoroughly with mosquito repellant as well, but they must be desperate for blood.  Caleb's head is very lumpy.  I'm thinking of getting them those hats with the nets.  They look kinda silly, but if it keeps them from getting bit so much, I'm willing to try.  At least they're not letting it keep them inside.  They're currently outside squishing ants.  Kiersten was brought in for a nap at snack time, then the others went back out to finish up.  Scott headed into town for some quiet study time at the church, but will come home later for some pita pizzas.  We made them last night and although I couldn't keep down lunch I was able to keep one down by laying down after eating.  Today has been a bit better with no food loss so far.
  Kiersten's latest words, "mo, peas?"  She calls  Elyssia "seesee", the boys just get pulled on when she wants them. "ow", "bye bye", "yah" for yes, "uh oh", "boo" "nose" and "eye" and "me".  I think she's said more, but it's hard to remember.  She's trying to say a lot of what we say to her now.  She's quick to head to the door when she knows someone's going in the car and very sad when she doesn't get to go. She's fallen in love with books and likes to be included in whatever the others are doing.  She's also our first to be caught putting things in the toilet.  A couple weeks ago I found a rubbermaid container and a spoon. Last week I found Garrison's toothbrush(nasty-also another one of Kiersten's words, along with "yuck"), today I caught her putting in two spoons.  It reminds me of that cartoon where the little duck keeps putting things in and saying "ducky go down the hole".  Thankfully we've seen each of these things before trying to flush them.  She's still better than a Hoover at the table.  She quietly eats her own food and then heads around the table once the others have finished and does her best to finish off what they leave.  Guess she must be growing.  She can eat 3 or 4 biscuits, which is about the same as Garrison.  I usually only eat 2 or 3 if we're not having anything else with them.  No leftovers around here!
  Caleb continues to be Caleb.  He's 3, but just like Garrison did when he turned 3 ,seems to be going through the 2 stage.  We're not letting him get away with it, but his frustration is there nonetheless. Playing outside seems to help, but then sometimes he comes in so tired that he's cranky and cries himself to sleep.  He's a very hard worker(minus the r when he says it), but the same cranky story is true when he's in for a nap.It's beautiful weather though, so we're taking full advantage of it. He's big enough to ride the tricycle this year and has a hard time waiting for his turn.  The other two are earning their bikes and end up riding the trike because it's the only one out there.  Thankfully they enjoy the swings and we should be starting construction of the bigger play structure some time this summer.  We'll see.  It's been really busy and time has been going by so fast.  It's hard to believe that May only 11 days left, 10 after today is done.
  Garrison is growing like a weed.  Seriously.  Those pants that were dragging are now showing socks.  His conversations often stray to more mature topics and his memory continues to amaze.  He's still struggling with sharing, but then surprises us by giving the others what they want quite easily sometimes.  Thankfully he's still taking a nap most days, which means that I can rest too. 
  Elyssia has become quite good at getting Kiersten to sleep or keeping her entertained in the girls room so that the others can sleep.  They listen to cds, look at books and play with the Little Tykes Doll house that Janice gave them. She's always making some craft or thinking up one that we can do together. And now she's off to catch butterflies and other things for her "museum of natural history":).  That should keep her busy all summer...
  So, we're caught up for now.  We were thinking of going to the Musical Ride this weekend, but Scott was going to check if there were any tickets left.  It's in Kindersley for the first time and a rare privilege from what I hear.  We'll see what happens.  If we do go I'm sure there will be lots of pictures to share.

  p.s. I was quite surprised that two of the names we picked were guessed so quickly.  Maybe I should have told what letter they started with:).  Oh well... 

A Guessing Game...

We've pretty much decided to wait until November to find out if the baby is a boy or girl. The hard part will be saying no when they ask at the next ultrasound:).  However we do have a name that we like for a boy and a girl.  I thought it would be fun to see if anyone can guess the names.  Here are a couple hints:
1.The boy's first name and middle name will start with "H"
2. The girl's first name starts with "A" and the middle name, which may change, starts with "R".

  That's all I'm going to tell you for now.  I may give more hints later, if it takes too long to guess:).  Maybe I should give a prize to send to the person that gets it correct.  We'll see... 

Some recommendations...

I'm not big on writing book, movie or cd recommendations, but there are some we've really been blessed by lately.  We purchased the Lamplighter Classic Theatre stories on cd, after reading some of their books(most written at least a couple hundred years ago).
 "A Peep Behind The Scenes" cover
We thought it would be a good way to pass the driving time on our Georgia trip.  They were amazingly well done and the kids have listened to them at home almost every day since we got back.  We purchased 6 of them, since there was a sale on them as a group.  We were excited to see that 4 more were available this week and bought them as a surprise for the kids(and ourselves:).  It's one thing that the kids can do while cleaning up or having quiet time in their rooms. It doesn't include making a mess, overstimulation like some movies and computer programs, and each story has a good lesson to teach. It also seems that the enjoyment of listening to the stories doesn't wear off quickly, which is a good thing.  I think they will wear out the disc before they get bored of listening to them.  They are probably designed more for 8 years and up, but we talked our kids through the worrisome parts the first time and after that they knew things would be okay.      Here is the link to check it out   http://www.lamplighterpublishing.com/  We're reading through some of the ones that haven't been recorded yet and looking forward to hearing them "come to life:)".

We've also been listening to dramatized stories by http://www.yourstoryhour.org/index.php.  They have historical dramas, character building stories and dramatized Bible stories. I remember looking forward to listening to these stories on the radio growing up, but they're only available online here, since there's no reception in this area.  I don't like the kids sitting at the computer listening for an hour or more, so waited for a good sale.  They have different sets that include 8-10 cds for 22.50 right now.  That's quite good, considering that each cd is at least an hour.  One DVD usually costs at least that, lasts about 2 hours and we wouldn't get nearly as much use out of it.  So, if you're looking for good character building stories, quiet time or car ride material, these are VERY GOOD.